CIRA International making a mountain out of little; Mountain pegs stop earthquakes?

In answer to the video "Mountains Hold Down the Earth Like Tent Pegs? - Scientific Miracles of the Quran Ep. 3"

It has already been established in previous videos how the Quran draws a parallel between the hospitability of our world for life, and a comfortable and well secured tent. 

Then the Quran talks about the mountains as pegs 78:6-7,79:32. Pegs provide stability to the sheltering tent as implied in the imagery. Without these pegs it would fall or be blown away by storm. The Quran calls the mountains pegs, in the context of drawing a picture of creation. These huge, stabilizing, sheltering objects are part of the system that allows mankind to develop and thrive physically. Just as by their massive presence, they allow human life to physically thrive, they do have their equivalent, on an even more massive scale in the metaphysical realm to allow humans to thrive, this time, spiritually. The revelation, should it descend in our material world, it would instantly shatter the most massive of those mountains by virtue of its spiritual weight

13:31,59:21"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect".

In the darkest times of his prophetic mission, towards the beginning, the prophet Muhammad would often retreat in fear and would thus be pulled out from reclusion by revelation. He would be told to rise and through acts of devotion, to prepare himself spiritualy to be able to bear what is about to come down on him from on high

73:5"Surely We will make to light upon you a weighty Word".

The Quran often uses the image of vastness, greatness found in nature and more particularly the mountains when it wants to express the massive importance of a thing, more specifically of this Revelation 14:46,10:22-23,42:33. This kind of imagery is pictured in many places, and is meant at contrasting those whose hearts are more inert and harder to penetrate by divine guidance, than a massive mountain would be. 

This literary style also serves the purpose of picturing the importance of Revelation as already pointed earlier; it takes a special kind of creature with a special kind of internal disposition to be able to bear it, in addition to bearing the consequences of having to communicate it. The Israelites begged Moses to be their intermediary with God instead of receiving revelation themselves. The experience at Horeb was so violent and traumatic that they did not want God to speak directly to them anymore, fearing they would die.  The word used in sura sharh to describe what kind of burden Muhammad was relieved from through God's expansion of his chest is wizr, used for something nearly unbearable

94:1-3"Have We not expanded for you your breast, And taken off from you your burden, Which pressed heavily upon your back".

What is rendered "pressed heavily" is anqada which actually is used when something is about to break. The prophet Moses at the beginning of his call and prior to his confrontation with Pharao requested from God the same spiritual relief and strengthening 20:25. We see here how the Quran consistently keeps its notions, although scattered all throughout the divine writings, connecting them together.

Back to the mountains as a physical object and the way they affect nature around them. 

The Arabs were familiar with mountains, considering the landscape around Mecca and Medina. The mountain was a refuge when the earth shook as it absorbs a great deal of the shock. A person would naturally seek refuge by or behind huge, stable and immovable objects, such as mountains, when the earth shook

16:15,81"And Allah has made for you of what He has created shelters, and He has given you in the mountains places of retreat".

As a basic law of physics, even the tiniest piece of rock would dissipate the force somewhat of an earthquake, but it is so minuscule, it would make absolutely no difference to a major earthquake. Shallow earthquakes however do not travel for long distances because the waves are absorbed by loose earth materials. Mountains are the most significant natural earthquake shock absorbers both because of their size and the bedrock underneath. And when those mountains over a significant period of time, become ranges, earthquake force is dissipated even more. The mechanism of mountain formation itself is a stabilizing factor. When 2 earth surfaces collide and the earth's crust bends upward to form a mountain, the energy from the collision is diffused. If the mountains were not formed then the tension would be much higher, continuous, and devastating with no mechanism by which to diffuse the energy from plate collisions. Interestingly, a hadith seems to refer to that situation 

"When Allah created the earth, it started shaking/oscillating. So He created the mountains, and said to them: ‘Upon it’ so it began to settle. The angels were amazed at the strength of the mountains.."

The Quran in the context of creation alludes to that mechanism too

21:31,50:7,31:10"He set in/FEE the earth anchors/RAWASI".

FEE primarily means IN or inside. RAWASI linguistically means Anchors. The main word for mountain is jabal, not rawasi (the Quran also uses tur or tawd 26:63 for a very large mountain as seen from its use in preislamic poetry). So although rawasi can sometimes be used for mountains, it does not mean it means mountains in every context. These rawasi fee al ard/anchors in the earth, could be anything including the forces that create the mountains and prevent disasters when two earth plates collide. RAWASI then fits perfectly because the anchors themselves created the mountains and anchored the land plate and the mountain as well. As stated in 

41:10"He made in it RAWASI from above it". 

The Arabic is difficult to translate and clearly implies an entity from within the earth towering above it.

To corroborate further, 

88:19"and the mountains, how they are fixed/erected". 

The word nusibat carries both the meanings of raised up and fixed, which correctly describes mountains. 78:7 similarly says

"WALJIBAL ARSAHA/and the mountains, He anchored them".

The Quran in places describes the earth as made to receive these rawasi in it 16:15. Alqa/to receive fits the concept of rawasi fee al ard, as it is a phenomenon which God made to exist within the earth.

In the Arabian peninsula, the mountains are among the most ancient and their surfaces are dense and solid, immune to land-sliding in general. In places like the Himalayas, damage is done primarily because of lightly-packed soil which results in land-slides. 

The Quran is simply saying, the mountains provide a stabilizing factor in preventing the land from shaking, so as to take men with them. It doesnt say the mountains stabilize the earth as a whole and completely prevent earthquakes. 

Such an assertion predicates that the Arabs, or whomever this youtuber supposes wrote the Quran, believed there was no such thing as earthquakes, or that they never experienced them because the mountains allegedly prevent such phenomena. This of course is absurd considering because Arabs did experience earthquakes. The Hijaz is part of the Great Rift Valley. What the Arabs believed, and what the law of physics are clear on, is that mountains act as a stabilizing force against the shocks of earthquakes, absorbing a great deal of its energy.

So the protection is not absolute. Similarly the sky as a canopy, as per the imagery of the hospitable tent, does not always provide protection when calamities fall from above or bad weather comes, some inhospitable areas of the earth do not conform to the imagery of a carpet spread for honoring guests inside the comfortable tent. 

These various imageries point out the general benefits man gets from these phenomena, without giving an absolute description of their functions. There are many such usages in the Quran, for example garments are said to have the purpose of protection from heat 16:81 and this is because the verse's primary addressees were desert dwellers, who also experienced the harsh cold of the night and used these garments for warmth. 

As always the Quran, being a book of guidance, whenever it points to a natural phenomenon it isnt solely on account of its material function. It is always trying to make the reader and listener ponder upon these entities and find a link between them and the spiritual realm. Besides their protective and sheltering nature, mountains also serve as a guidance to the traveller, just like Allah sent His prophets to guide mankind towards the ultimate destination, protecting them from the calamities of a mighty Day

21:31"And We have made great mountains in the earth lest it might be convulsed with them, and We have made in it wide ways that they may follow a right direction". 

When the Quran refers to the power unleashed on the Day of Judgement, it states these mountains, which are in human psyche the last natural objects one would think could be uprooted, the ultimate shelter one can find, yet it says that through a single blow they will all be thrown from their roots 69:14,20:105, tossed in the sky 52:10, floating like clouds 27:88, ripped appart like carded wool 70:9,101:5 shattered and scattered 73:14,77:10,56:5. As an interesting linguistic observation here, testimony once more to the Quran's surgical use of words and the way in which its interconnects its statements at different places with great consistency, in these places describing the state of the mountains during the cataclysm of the last day, when it compares them to soft wool beaten and tossed around in the air, it isnt any kind of wool that is meant. It is the type of wool as said in 70:9 above, that is dyed in different colors and this is because elsewhere, in a completely different context, when attracting the reader's attention to the variety in God's creation, it speaks of mountains existing in many different types and colors 35:27. One must keep in mind that the Quran is composed of revelations instantly recited then put to writing and memorized, with several witnesses present everytime, making it impossible for the prophet to retract a statement, go back on it and re-edit any of its contents. And yet, despite it being revealed in public in so many different contexts and situations, over a long period of 23 years, it still manages to connect even the most apparently insignificant details throughout its passages.

In parallel to the obliteration of the mountains, the earth's surface will be smoothed and levelled 18:8,47,20:105-7 therefore striping men from any place of concealment and shelter from the judgement. This day, as is here described through the stripping away of all places of refuge, even the most massive, is a day that will catch men no matter where they hide in the heavens or earth to bring them to account 29:22, and leave men standing in ranks 18:48"as We created you at first" with only their deeds to shield them from the punishement of that Day.

Acts17apologetics fluent in classical Arabic; Quran 26:16 is a grammatical blunder?

In answer to the video "A Grammatical Error in the Quran (Surah 26, Verse 16)"

There are sometimes people who have no grasp of the Quranic language and much less the grammar of later classical Arabic which itself relies on the Quran, but these people nevertheless dare speaking of grammatical errors in the Quran. 

Firstly, there is no contemporaneous written text to the Quran that we know of from which the Quran could possibly deviate. The Quran in fact is the first ever Arabic book, the first writing that marked the transition of the Arabs from an oral to written culture. Therefore, from the onset, to assert grammatical errors in the Quran is untenable. The Quran simply spoke in the dialect of the Quraish tribe with all their peculiarities and standards of language

"And We did not send any messenger but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly" "Indeed, we have revealed this as an Arabic Quran so that you may understand".

The only real standard of comparison would be another writing, form of literature, grammar rules from the Quraish tribe contemporaneous with the Quran. Again, of this, we have none, except for the orally transmitted pre islamic poetry. It was put to writing at approximately the same time as the earliest grammarians of Kufa and Basra, non-natives of the Hijaz and the Arabic of the Quraysh, were debating the rules of the language. They sometimes quoted this poetry in support of their position, meaning the written form might purposefully or unintentionally reflect the views of a certain grammar school. In short, we simply have nothing directly from the Quraishi tribe to compare it against to source mistakes in the Quranic language.

Therefore, the best and primary source to understand the Quran's usage of its language is the Quran itself. This is the approach any great Muffasir has taken to understand the Quran. Other sources of analysis including studies through detailed lexicons remain a secondary source of analysis.
It would be equally erroneous to claim that the Quran contained linguistic flaws when the ancient text of a particular dialect of people is compared against modern standard Arabic or any regional Arabic dialects today. The Quran simply has no comparison to be compared against.

Many languages today provide exceptions to their standard grammatical usages. Today's classical grammar 'rules' can be at variance with the Quran on which it has heavily relied on as a source, but to suggest the Quran is at variance with the grammar known to us today is illogical and unwarranted.

With that being said we may proceed to the supposed error of 26:16, which actually is a highly eloquent liguistic device, meant at creating a hybrid meaning, as is done elsewhere. This device is used in 26:16 adressing Musa, where God tells him to introduce himself and his brother with the following

"Then go to Pharao and say to him: we are rasul of the Sustainer of the worlds".

The singular rasul/messenger is used while its pronoun is in the dual form we/inna. Firstly, exceptions to general grammar rules exist in every language. One can only try arguing for an inconsistency if the exception never repeats in a similar grammatical context. It isnt the case here. All throughout the Quran, there are similar appeals to exceptional grammatical rules in order to eloquently convey an idea, including in a case almost identical to 26:16. In 38:21-3 the singular khasmi/litigant is used for 2 litigants. One of the reasons is that, in this deeply intricate story, the litigants were both one in principle and objective, even physically synchronized. Jesus and Mary are qualified as a singular sign from God 23:50,21:91. The prophet Ibrahim is described to be by himself an ummat/nation 16:120 because of embodying the qualities that could make an entire nation to succeed, being the leader/imam of mankind 2:124. In fact in the same sura at verse 26:77 the Quran uses the singular "enemy" with the pronoun "they". Just as in 26:16, the purpose is to lump up a group to indicate unity of principle and essence. That pattern is found throughout the sura with the description of the unified mission of the messengers across time and space. An interesting observation is the Quran's use of baraa'un in 43:26 to describe Ibrahim's dissociation from his nation's polytheism. Baraa'un is the intensive form of baraa', and it is used for single, dual or plural subjects. Because Ibrahim is elsewhere described as an ummah by himself, the Quran here applies the flexible form of the word instead of bareeun as is used in many places for singular subjects like the prophet, the believers or Allah 6:78,9:3etc. This is another evidence of the Quran's consistency in language.

The reader familiar with the intricacies of Arabic, as well as attentive to context and a holistic approach of the Quran will not be confounded by these linguistic devices. We arent talking here of added meanings to words like "person" so as to try and make sense of the trinitarian mystery that the father, the son, the spirit are one being but 3 different persons.

In 22:19 ikhtasamu/they dispute, is in the 3rd person plural instead of the dual form like its subject. This is because, starting from verse 8, God exposes the different parties composing the Non-Muslim side. The combination of the dual and plural in one sentence demarcates between Muslims and Non-Muslims as well as implies that there are subgroups among the non-Muslims.

The same device is used in 49:9, but this time in regards the believers. Another similar switch in pronouns occurs in 29:10 where a plural verb is related to a singular pronoun. It speaks of hypocrites and among their known traits was to be counted among the sincere believers who always uttered their adhesion to the cause with a single voice, as is sometimes quoted in the Quran, hence the singular pronoun.

To appreciate the meaningfulness of that choice of word from the point of view of Quranic eloquence, it is necessary to put the verse 26:16 in its context. 

Moses, who had fled Egypt because he was wanted for manslaughter, is anxious at the prospect of delivering the divine message to the ruthless Pharao. Thinking he had no credibility left in the eyes of the Egyptians because of the accusation of murder, he had lost all self-confidence in his ability to properly deliver the message and convince his audience 26:10-13. At that first meeting with God at the sacred valley of Tuwa to where he had been attracted by a burning bush, Moses prays to God to facilitate that task by increasing his eloquence and providing him with Harun as a helper and associate in the matter 19:52-3,20:9-36,28:33-5. God accepts, commanding him that when they both come face to face with Pharao, to introduce themselves as a single messenger of God. This is the ultimate reassurance Musa needed prior to his confrontation with Pharao, to share the burden of prophecy with Harun to the point that he and his brother are one, the epitome of association as per his prayer.  

At that first encounter with the Egyptian royals, Moses requests that Pharao sends the Israelites with them, in an attempt to end their exploitation as slaves. That initial contact had the form of a mild mannered dialogue, with Pharao reminding Moses of the time spent in the same household, to make Moses feel indebted. Moses replied that he owed Pharao nothing considering his hypocritical behavior; accepting on one hand an Israelite in his household while enslaving other Israelites. Furthermore, that Moses was raised inside Pharao's household, testified more to the mercy and omniscience of God who allowed a chain of causality with far-reaching consequences to occur, than Pharao's supposed goodness. The true question Pharao should be asking himself is why Moses wasnt brought up in his real home with his father and mother caring for him? It was because of Pharao's great oppression, forcing Moses’ mother to put her son in a wooden box upon the river until it reached, with God's will near Pharao's palace.

Instead of addressing the issue of the Israelite slaves, the ruler, in a typical attitude of an arrogant person utterly defeated in an argument, resorts to character assassination, trying to discredit Moses who was claiming to be sent by the divine, then proceeds by disrespectfully questioning Moses' beliefs, finally threatening him with imprisonment 26:18-29. Now Moses tries reasoning with Pharao one last time, telling him he is a messenger, delivering the truth 7:104-5. But seeing that Pharao would not listen, and that his life and that of his brother were now at risk, pulled out his final card and said that he has brought undeniable proof for his prophethood claims, so Pharao should not delay further the sending of the Israelites with him. It is interesting to note how Moses is still trying to delay the performance of those miracles, because miracles if denied, precipitate the destruction of a people. But upon Pharao's insistence Moses performed the miracles with which he was sent 26:32-3. He would display the same compassionate attitude when challenged to perform the miracles a second time 20:61-2. These miracles displayed by Moses, the rod into serpent followed by the shining hand, were appropriate metaphors of the prophet's message that preceded; a message of awe and hope in the Lord of all things. 

Seeing these impressive miracles threw a cold on the whole audience, with Pharao and his notables not wanting to remain defeated in their confrontation with Moses. They decided to give him and his brother a time of respite while emissaries were sent to gather the kingdom's best magicians who would be able to defeat Moses publicly 26:34-37,7:111-114,10:75-9. They did not want to slay them immediately following their spectacular display and silencing of the Egyptian elite, or else they would turn them into heroic martyrs. Their killing would be more appropriate after the revenge of Pharao and his notables, when they defeat Moses' miracles publicly at a second encounter. 

For this second encounter 20:42-48 God directly orders Moses to go with his brother Aaron to Pharao. Moses doesnt express, neither prior nor after the command, the same anxiety as when he was told to go to Pharao the first time, and neither is there a request to be assisted by his brother. This is because it has already happened before and Aaron is now a prophet, sharing the burden of prophethood with Moses. 

This time the only fear expressed is one that both of them felt, and both communicated it to God. They feared they might be killed if they go to Pharao. God then speaks to them both, comforting them, telling them to introduce themselves to him with

"Surely we are TWO messengers/rasulaa of your Lord.."

this time, since there was no question of appeasing Moses' fears personally and as much as was the case before, the dual rasulaa is used. This is how consistent and surgicaly precise the Quran is in its choice of words, and these youtubers thinking they found the holy grail with their grammatical error actually exposed another of its countless eloquent devices.

Islam critiqued exposes hidden sources; Quran, a story of the ancients?

In answer to the video "Quran, Alexander and Studies in Surah 18"

The issue of stories of the ancients, and the prophet being all "ears" is a topic that flies far above that youtuber's head. I will demonstrate right now why this is so. 

By the time of the prophet Muhammad, the assimilation of the Abrahamic legacy into the regional polytheistic systems was such that only a distant echo had remained in the minds of the Arabs as to their spiritual connection to Abraham. Just as happenned to the Temple of Jerusalem that slowly became transformed into a pagan shrine and idols were introduced in it 2kings21 the prime symbol of monotheism in Mecca became thus radically transformed through pagan influence. 

As the Ishmaelites, like the Israelites throughout their history, drifted from the original path of monotheism, the Hajj pilgrimage became a celebratory occasion, and the Kaaba was stocked with idols and false deities supposed to bring the worshipers closer to the One God, Allah, whom they believed in. Men and women would run naked throughout the holy precinct. Merchants from all over would travel to the Kaaba and set up shop during the pilgrimage. People and tribes from all over Arabia would make the journey to Mecca to take part in the festivities. But this annual pilgrimage was in greater parts disconnected from the Abrahamic practice 22:26-7. It was simply a time to make money instead of being charitable, drink alcohol, and commit immoral acts. 

The importance of the annual event perdured despite the corruption. It was maintained by those that settled in Mecca, and the Arabs of the entire peninsula that got attracted to it with time. These are the points brought to attention in 2:196-7. And then until v203 great stress is laid on the spiritual dimension, forgotten and neglected, of that occasion. No other nation can be compared to the Ishmaelites' handling of their spiritual legacy and sacred shrine, than their own Israelite brothers. They could not maintain the way of their forefathers despite the constant sending of prophets to them to bring them back to the right path. When the Arabs were admonished and urged to reform, they qualified the warnings as

16:24,27:68"stories of the ancients".

These Ishmaelites vaguely recalled the Abrahamic ways, but found no other constructive argument in their opposition but by denigrating it as old and useless stories, based on its ancienty and supposed obsolescence, inaplicability to the current circumstances. They never qualify these stories as "false". It was in fact one of the Quran's oft repeated functions, to "remind" the people of the truth they were still somewhat aware of but that had been supressed by falsehood. The Quran openly states that

26:196"most surely the same is in the scriptures of the ancients".

It repeats, time and again, its role as the guardian and preserver of the truth present in the past scriptures. Along with Abrahamic and monotheistic practices known in pre-islamic days, going back to previous prophets, was the Zakat which the people knew they had to give away to the poor but rarely practiced or misused 19:30-31,54-55,70:24,Deut14:28-29,26:12-14, fasting 2:51,183-187,7:142,Deut9:9,Ex24:18,34:28,Matt4:2,Lk5:33-6 prayer that continued after Ibrahim established it in the settlement of the Kaaba 14:37,19:55,Dan6:10,Ps55:18,1Chr23:30 until it was disfigured 8:35, animal sacrifice, circumcision. Other concepts propounded by previous prophets and which the Quran was reminding its addressees of, include the Resurrection, day of Judgement and accountability Matt13:24-43,1Kings17:17-24,2Kings4:17-37,13:20-1,1Sam2:6,Isa2:17,26:19,66:14,Ezek37:1-28,Ps71:20,Prov6:22,Prov31(see Rashi),Dan12:1-2,Quran29:36,54:36-9. 

There are pre-islamic poems with clear eschatological connotation, some of them speaking of the resurrection of the soul, and Allah being the judge of mankind. One such poems is that of Zuhayr who wrote in his muallaqat

"Do not conceal from Allah what is in your souls, trying to hide it. Whatever is concealed from Allah, He knows. It is delayed and entered in a register and stored up for the day of reckoning, or it is brought forward and avenged".

Labid wrote

"every human will one day come to know his striving when it will be disclosed before the God what has been extracted".

See also the lines of al-A'sha evoking fear of the final accounting

"when the resurrected souls will shake of the dust".

The Quran and the traditions speak of the hanif remnants that tried preserving the monotheism of Ibrahim, and these lines of poetry might echo these marginal beliefs. The majority of the pre-islamic Arabs however rejected bodily resurrection and otherworldy accountability, the Quran repeatedly condemns this attitude. This phenomenon is clearly seen with the "talbiya", the invocations the pilgrims coming from all over Arabia made during their rituals. Some of these have come down to us, referring to Allah as

"al wahid al qahhar rabb assamad",

while others clearly referred to the idols as subservient to him

"laa nabudul asnama hatta tajtahida li rabbiha wa tutabad"

or

"rabb al thalitha ukhra/Lord of the third goddess",

and others spoke of the One Lord of the last hour

"rabba assa'a".

All of this shows the multifaceted shades of idolatry among the pilgrims, some of them praising Allah alone, others associating with Him while maintaining Him above the intercessors, and others still referring to the day of judgement. 

This confirms the Quranic statement that the original religion established at the sanctuary was Abrahamic monotheism. It got disfigured with time, polluted with foreign concepts, although it maintained a recognizable foundation of truth, which the last prophet came to revive. 

Sura 87, after summing up the pillars of divine truth, such as monotheism, intelligent design, resurrection, God's all-encompassing, intricate knowledge and sway over His creatures' affairs, spiritual purification through prayer and constant remembrence of God as being the ways to success in the Hereafter, it says that these are all concepts known, written and transmitted by the prophets, from Ibrahim to Moses. All of these things were known to the people whom Muhammad was addressing over 4000 years later but have been neglected for so long that only a dim remembrance of them remained

23:83"Certainly we are promised this, and (so were) our fathers aforetime; this is naught but stories of those of old".

Muhammad revived the corrupted, obscured and forgotten way of Ibrahim

6:161"Say: Surely, (as for) me, my Lord has guided me to the right path; (to) a most right religion, the faith of Ibrahim the upright one, and he was not of the polytheists".

The climax of that revival occured when he entered Mecca triumphantly, cleansed the Kaaba of its idols and rededicated it to its monotheistic purpose.

The prophet used to answer the call of freeman, slave, maid servant and destitute alike, shortening his prayer anytime someone would visit his open house so much so that his opponents spread it as a form of weakness and credulity while the prophet knew very well who to trust 9:61. The verse absolutely doesnt come in the context of charges of plagiarism. They would literally reproach him of being "an ear" because of his empathy and readiness to patiently listen to what anyone had to say. But although at first glance that seemingly gave the impression of being credulous it in fact reveals a great leadership quality of keeping cohesion within a group. He knows very well the liars or people with ill intentions but does not immidiately expose them to the rest of the community so as to leave them the chance to reform themselves, as is commanded within the Quran itself. 

This passive attitude should however not leave any ambiguity as regards the prophet's intellectual and spiritual stance, as denoted in the rest of the verse. Sometimes as reflected in 33:53, his leniency, kindess and forbearance to his folks would often lead to abuse. People would enter his house at anytime, preventing him and his wives from their spiritual duties and basic privacy requirements. This injunction taught them certain rules of behaviour bearing on the life of such particular society, based on a true feeling of brotherhood, mutual consideration, and respect for the sanctity of each other's personality and privacy. This is the timeless lesson, applicable for all times, and which is now enshrined in the Quran through incidents that concerned the prophet. A report suggests that this verse was first revealed in the context of the prophet's marriage ceremony with Zaynab. Some of the guests stayed long after the event was over, in the prophet's home. The verse, according to the report from Anas came down some time after the incident, thus thwarting any attempt by modern critics to try and use the story as evidence of "convenient revelations". Besides, the ahadith speak of other occasion of revelation than this particular incident. This is due to the traditions and Quran commentaries, typically retrospectively applying events in the life of the prophet and the community as asbab alnuzul/occasions of revelation.

The Quran is full of such moral lessons, although illustrated through temporal situations, some of them related and others unrelated to the prophet.

Here are a few other examples 

24:62-63"surely they who ask your permission are they who believe in Allah and His Apostle". 

In the prophet's time, the sincerity of a person's belief in God and the one representing His will on earth, was measured by their obedience to the prophet. None could dare claim to submit to Allah while rejecting the means by which He was actively comunicating with the people. They could obviously not communicate with God directly and had thus to seek the messenger's guidance to know the divine will. This guidance from the messenger is still found both in the Quran and the sunna he left behind. The timeless application of the verse is thus in consulting both sources of guidance. See also 4:64.

Islam critiqued shoots down divine mysoginy; Allah prefers males over females?

In answer to the video "Quran and the Queen of Sheba"

When the Quran denounces the pagans for their attribution of angel daughters to God while keeping the "preferred" gender to themselves, it isnt diminishing the status of females, referred with males as gifts from God 42:49-50, and females in particular as a glad-tiding 16:58. The idea of keeping the preferred male gender is a sarcastic comment, pointing to the absurdity of the pagans' reasoning who would attribute to the God they believed in and worshipped as their Creator, what they hated for themselves.

Daughters were considered to be no more than objects of adornments and the Quran exposes their inner thoughts whenever a female was born to them; contending whether to keep them in disgrace or burry them alive 16:57-62,17:40,43:15-19. 

In 17:31 the Quran refers to the killing of infant children/awlad out of fear of poverty. The practice was overwhelmingly done to females, and rarely males. These same awlad/children are referred to in many places as valuable things 3:10,116,9:69etc. 

The blessed Mary is described as more valuable than any male her mother could have wished for. When in her pregnancy, Imran's pious wife vowed to offer what was in her womb to the devotion of God 3:35 as denoted with "muharraran", she meant that the child is free of any other obligation or attachment. She desired a male whom she wanted to follow in the footsteps of the priestly family, living in devotion to God and serving Him in the Temple. 

This religious function was prescribed exclusively for the male descendants of the Levites branch. But when she brought forth a female whom she thought wouldnt be able to live up to her spiritual expectations and duties in the Temple, she was explained that her excellence would go far beyond any hopes and desires she had entertained

3:36"God had been fully aware of what she would give birth to, and [fully aware] that no male child [she might have hoped for] could ever have been like this female".

She named her Maryam and invoked Allah's protection on her and her offspring 3:36. In the ahadith we read that in answer to her mother's prayers, the divine protection and supervision of Mary, extended to her son Jesus to the point that Allah prevented a seemingly harmless event of the unseen, that every human being is made to experience at birth 

"No child is born but that, Satan touches it when it is born whereupon it starts crying loudly because of being touched by Satan, except Mary and her son".

In fact Mary is described as a model for both men and women. Mary the mother of Jesus is mentionned alongside Pharao's wife as the example to follow. The word describing her spiritual submissiveness is in the masculin plural/qanitin 66:12. This necessarily includes the male gender as well as females, otherwise it would have said qanitat. This eloquent, linguistic precision makes her not only a role model to Muslim women in her chastity and submission, ie submission to the divine will, but also to Muslim men.  

When it points out male offspring as a particular asset 16:72 it is in the context of continuity of lineage, children's children. The banee of 80:36 doesnt exclude female children. The word is amply used for both genders, as in banee aadam or banee israil. 

When it refutes the attribution of daughters to God among the angels, the verse isnt solely offended by the double standard of the pagans, but also by the very fact of attributing offspring to God, giving a share of the divine essence to other entities. The Quran tells them, they could be turned into angels themselves all the while remaining the same created beings devoid of any divinity, succeeding eachother on this finite earth that will eventually come to an end with everything in it 43:60. 

The Quran equally denounces those who attribute male children to God whether in a literal or metaphorical sense which shows that the issue pointed out isnt gender related but rather the unreasonableness of their concept and degrading of God. 

The negation of male children to God is stated in 6:100-101, where the Quran also explains the impossibility, from the point of view of His majestic status, unique essence, for God to physically/carnally beget both sons and daughters as the polytheists claimed throughout time, ascribing to Him even a lineage among the jinn 37:158. 

The desire for children is based upon the desire to continue one's own legacy, i.e. it is based upon an inherent weakness within man and this rejects the majesty of Allah, His transcendence, and status as beyond causality and contingency. Why would He need entities besides Himself, sharing His essence? Is He lacking in power, knowledge to rule creation by Himself, or  is He limited in lifespan? 

The Quran rejects this concept of progeny and sonship to God, as well as all the implications undermining His supremacy, by for instance pointing to the facts that nothing precedes or outlasts Him 57:3, that nothing is even within the realm of the remotest of comparisons, that He neither begets nor is He begotten 42:11,112:1-4. 

WALAD is the term translated as "son" in 6:101 but the word really means a "product of birth". This covers that Allah does not give birth, nor does he have a consort to give birth for Him. It is important to note, the verse does not tie the impossibility for God to beget to the absence of consort exclusively. It says Wa/And He has no consort. So, the absence of the consort is one of many reasons why Allah does not have a son. Along with the absence of consort, the other reasons for God not having any son are "innovator of the heavens and Earth", "Creator of everything" and so on. 

It does not befit the One holding sway over all creation to have the need for a son, which entails an inherent weakness. Why would He need to, when His grasp over creation is so all-embracing, that His will, whatever it may be, is instantly executed

19:35"It is not for Allah to take a child; glory to be Him. When He decrees a command, He only says to it: Be; and it is".

The Quran treats this assertion as so far removed from reality, that it tells its messenger, had it been true he would have been the first to be instructed to worship such an entity 43:81.

Finally the word ANNA translated as How, is an exclamatory expression through several angles, as in "How" and "why" together, to mean "why should He?!" 

The primary Quranic argument against God procreating is thus not linked at all the presence or absence of consort, but to the contradiction that notion creates with His uniqueness, supremacy, perfection, self-subsitence and so on. But had the Quran not refuted the idea of God physically procreating by mentionning the absence of a consort, its argument would have remained incomplete. That is because the very notion of God needing to procreate demotes Him in His self-sustained status, restricts His power and will. This inevitably entails the need for partners in His rule, including a consort to procreate. 

In such a demoted status, the notion of God doing whatever He wills through His creative word "BE" becomes an impossible proposition. The Quran is here showing the necessary implications of the polytheists' belief, exposing their flaws and refuting them from every possible angle. The perfect example to illustrate is that of Mary 19:20. Being a human, she was limited in her power and will just as God would have been, had He needed a progeny. Mary was unable by her own will to conceive, just as Allah would have been due to His demoted status. They would have both needed a counterpart to procreate. But the reality is different. God, the Majestic, is free from any need, including that of having children, which necessarily implies Him being limitess in His power and will

19:35"It is not for Allah to take a child; glory to be Him. When He decrees a command, He only says to it: Be; and it is".

The verse makes it clear, the total absence of any need to have a child is linked to His supreme dominion over all things, as encapsulated with the creative word "BE". On the other hand, the need for a child would immidiately negate that absolute power. But Allah is limitless and that is why He was able to impose His creative will upon Mary, making her conceive even in the absence of a male counterpart.

As to the children of paradise, they will most probably be those who died before reaching maturity and moral accountability. This includes the righteous' own children with whom the Quran promises one will be reunited, or any other under-aged children of those who did not make it into paradise 52:21. They will be going round about the dwellers of heaven and are described with words evoking both physical and spiritual beauty and purity

56:17,76:19,52:24"as if they were protected pearls".

The Quran describes the servants as Ghulamun, denoting young vigorous males. However elsewhere they may include both genders since it uses the genitive plural wildan, as in 4:127. 

Islam critiqued shocked by this backwardness; Islam forbids female leadership?

In answer to the video "Quran and the Queen of Sheba"

The story of the Muslim Queen in the times of Solomon proves that the Quran doesnt condemn or prevent women leadership of the highest degree. This Queen's case is that of a monarchy, meaning most probably not elected by her people but made to inherit the throne. It does not represent a pervasive mindset of a nation that normalizes the placing of women as heads of state, as per the report of the prophet, who, upon hearing that the Persians had appointed Chosroe’s daughter as ruler said

"No people who appoint a woman as their leader will ever prosper".

Recent scholars argue that this speaks of a specific time and nation, the Persian contemporaries of the prophet. Abu Bakra narrated the report during the Battle of the Camel, where Aisha was in command of the army which included illustrious companions of the Prophet. None of them objected to her being in command. As in the Queen of Sheba's case, Aisha's case did not represent a normalized trend in the society of nominating women as leaders. Even the narrator Abu Bakra did not desert her which should have been the case had he and other companions noticed that she contradicted a prophetic instruction. The Sassanide empire collapsed soon after that narration was reported, and the Muslims conquered it, leading scholars to treat this as a prophecy. 

In the prophet's time, a successful nation was one that had a steady population growth and enough resources to maintain it. This is the unavoidable reality of our wordly system even nowadays. Only a healthy family base with enough children to safeguard demographic renewal, coupled with a secure and sustainable income allows a nation to thrive in the long run. No matter which way one turns it, this is only possible with a woman fully dedicated to her household and a man fully committed to sustaining it. Both functions are equally important. If any of these 2 pillars is compromised, then the system stagnates and deteriorates. 

This, again, is an observable reality today accross the "developed" world, where these once rich nations are essentially dying out in the long term. Men are seeking wealth following destructive economic models and women have disengaged from the family and childbearing function. Society becomes incapable of assigning fully committed gender adapted roles so as to safeguard its own long term prosperity. 

As already noted, this phenomenon has to spread on a large scale for it to compromise the functioning of a healthy society. It isnt speaking of marginal cases whose imbalanced family model can be absorbed by the larger body of the society. Rather it points to a deeply ingrained, general mindset hence the words

"No PEOPLE WHO APPOINT a woman as their leader will ever prosper".

That is why we find in the history of Islam and since the earliest days, Muslim leaders, not the general population, appointing women to leadership positions like judges or police, even military. In brief and as demonstrated, Islam certainly allows female leadership but it cannot be a general, normalized phenomenon or else it would mean that the society has accepted to compromise the gender specific functions that allow it to prosper in the long term.

Apostate prophet in search of a true prophecy; when will the Hour come?

In answer to the video "Muhammad's Failed End Time Prophecy"

7:187"They ask you about the hour, when will be its taking place? Say: The knowledge of it is only with my Lord; none but He shall manifest it at its time; it will be momentous/thaqulat in the heavens and the earth; it will not come on you but of a sudden. They ask you as if you were solicitous about it. Say: Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most people do not know".

By the words thaqulat/burdened, the verse employs the metaphor of pregnancy in its last stages. Just as the sight of such a woman leaves no doubt as to the fact that she must eventually deliver, the signs of the Resurrection and judgement are so numerous and obvious in the heavens and the earth that one is left with no doubt as to the fact it will and must occur. Its unfolding is a certainty but, just as for the pregnant woman, its time is unknown. The Quran's warnings about the end of times are prophetic, not apocalyptic as we find in the Gospels and Paul's writings. In the Christian tradition, it is behind the corner and imminent (but failed happening as predicted), in the Quran it is merely inevitable.

The object of every prophet wasnt to determine its timing but to ascertain its inevitability in the mind of their addressees

79:42-5"They ask you about the hour: When will be its arrival? You are not (in position) to know it. To your Lord is its end. You are only a warner for one who fears it".

The final hour is the culminating part of a universal system based on truth and justice. Without it, the universe would be purposeless and the idea of moral accountability flawed and incomplete. When that is established then the details surrounding the event should be secondary in importance, the true focus should be on doing good prior to its ushering. Given that both the Quran and ahadith attest to the prophet's ignorance of the precise timing of the end of days, he is expected to shift the focus away from the timing whenever asked about it. And effectively, when asked, he would begin by encouraging righteousness, repentance and gratefulness. He would then proceed with statements that are often ambiguous and open to interpretation. This in itself is an appeal to focus on the present rather than speculating on what is beyond our grasp and which isnt even a requirement of faith 

 "While the Prophet and I were coming out of the mosque, a man met us outside the gate. The man said, "O Allah's Messenger! When will be the Hour?" The Prophet asked him, "What have you prepared for it?" The man became afraid and ashamed and then said, "O Allah's Messenger! I haven't prepared for it much of fasts, prayers or charitable gifts but I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet said, "You will be with the one whom you love".

 On another occasion he answered 

"If this boy lives he would not grow very old that he would find your Last Hour coming to you he would see you dying".

The noble prophet is telling the questioners to worry about their own last hour, meaning preparing themselves for it, prior to worrying about the last hour of all humanity. This is common theme in the Quran, warning people to prepare themselves as if their time is very near. Death is a reality bound to occur at any moment. Understanding this reality should awake the person and make him ponder on the higher meaning of life

7:185"Have they not contemplated the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever things Allah created, and that maybe their time has already draw near?"

In accordance with what he was inspired to convey in relation to the day of resurrection, the prophet thus never pin pointed the time of its occurrence. As Jaafar al sadiq said

"Allah the Exalted has decreed for us some things and demands from us some things. What he has decreed for us has been kept hidden from us, and what he wants from us has been made plain to us. What is the matter with us that we busy ourselves with what is decreed for us at the expense of what is demanded from us?".

When the angel Gabriel appeared to him, asking

"When will the Hour be established?' The prophet replied 'The answerer has no better knowledge than the questioner' ending his reply with "the Hour is one of five things which nobody knows except Allah.'

  He then recited

31:34'Verily, with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour".

Even when he did put a timing, he implied its closeness in relation to the overall life of this world

"The time of my advent and the Hour are like these two fingers". He said elsewhere "The sun is about to set, and what remains of this world, compared to what has passed (ie since the beginning of time), is like what remains of this day compared to what has passed".

The Quran itself alludes to the idea that time in this world is relative, when seen from a higher perspective

75:34"Nearer to you (is destruction) and nearer, Again (consider how) nearer to you and nearer" 70:6-7"Surely they think it to be far off, And We see it nigh" 16:77"And Allah's is the unseen of the heavens and the earth; and the matter of the hour is but as the twinkling of an eye or it is higher still; surely Allah has power over all things".

In other places, it quotes incidents long passed before even the rising of the prophet Muhammad, where God states that

20:16"Surely the Hour is coming. I am about to make it manifest so that every soul may be rewarded as it strives".

This again shows that the divine intent when speaking of the closeness of the end of times, is in relation to the overall time of the world from its inception to its final destination. And this understanding is reflected in the prophetic statements about the timing of the hour. When the prophet paralleled the conquest of Constantinople with the ushering of the end of times, he described the presence of the mahdi and the descent of Jesus. After fierce combat, and at the point when the Mahdi is encircled, Jesus will descend to lead the Muslim armies, and slay the Dajjal. Soon after this, the Muslims will take Constantinople by peaceful means

"They will conquer Constantinople with Tasbih and Takbir and will acquire such spoils of war as has never been seen before".

I'll leave this closet Christian with a saying from his god-man to ponder upon; 

Matt24:36,Mk13:32"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"

Here the text contrasts the lack of knowledge of all intelligent beings, including Jesus, with the complete knowledge of God. This verse perplexed many leading Trinitarians throughout history who were faced with the problem of Jesus' ignorance of a particular matter. Many manuscripts dont even have the passage, leading scholars to argue it was at some point edited out to avoid controversy with anti-Trinitarians. Some have tried solving this by appealing to the mysterious concept of hypostatic union of 2 contradictory entities; the imperfect creation and the perfect Creator. Others have appealed to the Greek text, arguing that what is translated as "know" can also be rendered "make known". Jesus therefore knows the hour but the only one that can make it known/proclaim it is God the Father. One may then legitimately ask, when and where did the Father make that matter known? Will the Father proclaim it at some time in the future and how? That explanation also ignores the fact that the verse contrasts all sentient beings, including Jesus on one side, with the Father on the other side. If the Greek does not negate knowledge but only refers to proclamation, then it follows that all entities grouped with Jesus in contrast to the Father, do possess that knowledge of the hour but will not proclaim it.

dontconvert2islam tries textual criticism, what is hafs?

In answer to the video "100% Proof the Quran is False!"

As regards to "hafs" or "warsh", Warsh is an offshoot of the Hafs, which as anybody familiar with the Quran recognize, is the Qurayshi dialect of the Prophet, meaning the original transmission of the Quran. They are both recitations, not Quran "versions", with Hafs being today the most common type of recitation used in the Muslim world, the authenticated way in which the prophet himself recited the Quran. 

The "Quran of Cairo" uses an elaborate system of modified vowel-signs and a set of additional symbols for minute details and is based on that reading. This edition has become the standard for modern printings of the Quran, since 1924 when the printing house was established in Cairo. Before that point, the Quran was printed in Istanbul until it ceased being the capital of the caliphate. Again, this is not a different Quran, but one whose Uthmanic rasm was improved over several years until 1924, so as to minimize scribal errors. Many such errors were detected in Quran copies which the Egyptian government used to import prior to 1924. These errors, in modern copies -not in ancient manuscripts-, are irrelevant in determining the authenticity of the Quranic text since they were pointed, and the copies destroyed by sinking them in the Nile river. 

There are no differences between the Quran printed in Cairo and the ones printed all over the Muslim world. The Cairo edition is based on the well known hafs reading of the prophet himself. There was never any canonization process and debates, revisions over what the Quran's contents had to be. This is exactly what occured with the Bible with different canons over time. Nothing in the history of the Quranic text, even by the furthest stretch of imagination and revisionist fantasies, can be compared to the tumultuous 400 years following Jesus' death, which marked the canonization process of the Bible.

The hafs reading is named after Hafs ibn Sulaymaan not because he initiated it or transmitted it, but because he recited best and in a most outstanding way one of the authentic qiraat traced back to the prophet. His qiraa/recitation is the one he learned from Aasim ibn Abi an-Najud, a tabi'ee, meaning the generation that met the prophet's companions but not the prophet himself. Aasim learned his recital from Abu abd al Rahman al Sulami who learned from the Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. 

Aasim had several students reciters and Hafs was but one of them who excelled most. Although Hafs was rejected as a hadith narrator, a science that is completely unrelated to the art of Quran recitation or capacity to memorize, he was however never questioned in the field of recitation itself, neither by those who deemed him untrustworthy in hadith nor by his fellow students. 

As to the fact that Hafs would borrow books to copy them without returning them, with the only specific case mentionned being a book from his contemporary student colleague Shu'bah, what is important to mention firstly is that only Shu'bah made that claim, which is why no other explicit example of borrowing and not returning exists. Second, it was nothing strange and in fact the norm back then for even powerful narrators to borrow eachothers' books and copy the narrations they contained into their hadith collection. As to not returning Shu'bah's book, this could have been due to many things other than "stealing". Nobody ever accused Hafs in that context of being a book thief!

Islam critiqued discredits the prophets; Moses unwilling to face Pharao?

In answer to the video "Biblical Insights 12: Pharaoh's Heavy Heart"

Although Moses was hesitant to face the mighty Pharao alone, as anyone in a similar situation would be, although he was complexed by his oratory capabilities, as anyone about to make an important and public address would also be, although he feared he might not properly convince his audience and in addition, that he might be arrested for the crime they accused him of, he never declined the mission and instead asked God to strengthen his speech, fill his heart with courage and appoint his brother Aaron as a helper and associate in prophecy

20:25-36,26:12-15,28:34-5"And my brother, Haroun, he is more eloquent of tongue than I, therefore send him with me as an aider, verifying me: surely I fear that they would reject me. He said: We will strengthen your arm with your brother, and We will give you both an authority, so that they shall not reach you; (go) with Our signs; you two and those who follow you shall be uppermost".

Moses never rejected the mission entrusted to him by asking for his brother to be sent instead, as is the case in the biblical version. Harun's presence uplifted him and, together with the device God gave him to ward off all fear 28:32-3 Moses would be appeased during the encounter and more able to deliver a proper speech. 

In the Hebrew Bible, Moses' fears and concerns following the announcement of his momentous mission is related twice. First at the prospect of ascertaining his prophethood to the elders of the Israelites. The objective was that they should form a delegation to request a 3days leave for the entire community Ex3:18. Moses expresses his fears again, when he was told to confront Pharaoh a second time. His fears are centered around his lack of credibility due to his defect in speech. God says, prior to his encounter with the Israelites to whom he had to announce his prophethood, that He would correct that defect but instead of being comforted, Moses keeps insisting for God to send someone else instead. God wrathfully concedes in part, by appointing his older brother Aaron as his spokesman Ex4:1-16. 

Bizarrely, Moses' second reluctancy, again based on his speech impediment, is placed at the prospect of his second encounter with Pharaoh Ex6:10-13,28-30. Yet Moses had already confronted Pharaoh without ever complaining of his speech defect Ex4:21,5:1-5. That confrontation occured after he convinced the elders of his prophethood with the help of Aaron, and went with them to request the 3 days leave as per God's orders. He meets Pharao at this first encounter together with Aaron, who wasnt appointed by God to go along with him, inexplicably replacing the elders who were supposed to accompany him at that first meeting.

So why did Moses express concerns based on his speech issues before his second encounter with Pharaoh if it wasnt an issue for him before Ex7:1-2? The solution to Moses' speech problem was to make Aaron speak on his behalf, repeating what Moses was whispering to him in front of Pharaoh's court.

On top of the few inconsistencies of the account already pointed, We have now the unrealistic scene of Aaron acting like Moses' sock puppet, a completely unbecoming etiquette in such a situation. It is only following Pharao's refusal to grant the 3 days leave at the first meeting, that we read of Aaron's appointement as Moses' helper to Pharao. His purpose was to allay Moses' anxiety as regards his speech defect, again somthing he doesnt complain about at the prospect of the first meeting, so why is he raising the issue now? The brothers were to go together for a second meeting, demanding the complete freedom of all Israelites.

As can also be read throughout Exodus, it was Aaron, not Moses, who cast down the staff that became a snake before Pharaoh and who held out his staff to trigger the first three plagues against Egypt. However Moses would later direct his staff to the heavens to rain down hail on Egypt. The same staff in Moses' hand would later split, then re-join the sea during the exodus Ex9:23,Ex14:16,21,26. For no real reason, the staff is depicted as passing back and forth between Aaron and Moses, and sometimes in a contradictorily manner from chapter to another. For example, Aaron is the one who allegedly used Moses' staff to turn the water of the Nile into blood but later when addressing Moses at the barren location of Rephidim where the Israelites were encamped, God tells him to take the staff with which he himself struck the Nile with, and hit a rock with it to cause water to gush forth Ex7:19,Ex17:5. Moses would again, later use the staff to defeat the Amalekites Ex17:9.

It is worthwile to note here the fantastic tales surrounding the "magic" staff of Moses in Jewish oral tradition, engraved with God's true name, first taken out by Adam from the Garden of Eden, then given to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jethro who planted it in his garden and no one had since that time been able to pull it out of the earth, until Moses came and removed it easily, thus proving his just claim to its ownership.

The Quran on the other hand describes it in terms unambiguously conveying its normality, lack of any power in and of itself 20:18-21. During his public confrontation with Pharao's magicians, Moses was inspired to

20:69"cast down what is in your right hand".

The staff itself was not the significant factor, it simply was a reassuring tool Moses had the habit of carrying around. By subtely omitting to mention it specifically, the Quran conveys the sense that the significant factor was the will of Allah. In addition, as a testimony of its surgical use of words and precise placements in the relevant context, the Quran when relating the incident where Moses was introduced to the effect of the staff transforming into a serpent for the first time, says that it was not terrifyingly explicit

27:10"he saw it in motion as if it were a serpent" 20:20"a serpent running"

but when the transformation happenned in front of Pharao it was an evident, great and clear snake 7:107 in fact so monstrous that it appeared to swallow the serpents that were produced through trickery, by Pharao's magicians 7:117.

Islam critiqued overlooks things; YHWH the hardenner of the hearts?

In answer to the video "Biblical Insights 12: Pharaoh's Heavy Heart"

Before digging deeper into YHWH's hardening of Pharao's heart, let us look at how the loving New Testament God addresses the issue of obstinate spiritual wickedness. 

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 as seen in Rom9:8-23. 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"

although other passages clearly comply with the notion of freewill and moral accountability.
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 wil "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".

That outcome was foreseen even prior to Moses' confrontation with the Egyptian ruler. God tells Moses, Pharao will not heed his message unless forcefully compelled by God to do so Ex3:19. And that is because Pharao's heart was purposefuly hardened prior to the performance of miracles. Why would YHWH inflict Pharao with spiritual blindness if he was already blind in the first place and unable to hearken Moses' calls? This would render YHWH's curse redundant. YHWH's purpose in blinding Pharao is clearly stated in the text, it was to create a chain of events meant at destroying the Egyptian oppressors and ultimately freeing the Israelites. YHWH also had a personal grudge with the gods of Egypt and their wordly representant, Pharao. YHWH wanted prove to the Egyptians in a spectacular manner that it was He, not the false gods, that controled all aspects of their lives. YWHW skillfully orchestrates, through Pharao' obstinate rejection of the plagues and Moses' miracles, a gradual public battle of the gods

Ex9:15-16"For if now I had stretched forth My hand and I had smitten you and your people with pestilence, you would have been annihilated from the earth. But for thsi reason I have allowed you to stand in order to show you My strength and in order to declare My Name all over the earth".

That battle of the gods had to be repeated several times for YHWH to make his point clear to the Egyptians, hence the gradual destruction of land, and the preservation of Pharao as YHWH's main tool in the process. Had Pharao repented, he would have told the Egyptians to follow suit, which would have in turn frustrated YHWH's plans, hence the hardenning of his heart. 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".

Just as was done to Pharao, the same would be 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, comes 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 later 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.

As stated in the beginning, the Quran says, regarding Pharao's case, that Moses and Aaron were primarly sent to him and the corrupt elite around him to make them mend their ways by adopting purity of belief, morals and deeds. That is why his heart could not, and was not hardenned prior to his successive encounters with Moses as a prophet, the divine messages and signs clearly exposed to him for him to ponder and reflect. All prophets when they are sent to a powerful nation, begin by targeting the corrupt and tyrannical leaders of that nation

10:75-6"Then We sent after them Musa and Harun to Firon and his chiefs with Our signs, but they were arrogant and they were a criminal people. So when the truth came to them from Us, they said: Indeed, this is surely an obvious magic".

The particularity of Pharao's transgression, that made him, among other sins 20:24"exceed all limits" was his claim to divine status 28:38,79:24, a sin which a prophet of God could never overlook.
Part of the writing/kitab revealed to Moses was thus aimed at Pharao, more specifically the message of tawhid/divine unity as is clear from his exchanges with the ruler. However, most of that writing/kitab of Moses was filled with directives for the children of Israel, to establish them as a nation before God 23:45-49,32:23. Their preparation had to begin in Egypt itself. After Moses' prophetic authority was accepted among his people thanks to his public defeat of Pharao and his magicians, and as the plagues were being inflicted upon Egypt, the Israelites were told to reform themselves and begin establishing regular prayers 10:87. Although some followed the instructions, the majority resisted and died with the plagues.

Islam critiqued heart issues; Pharao's case?

In answer to the video "Biblical Insights 12: Pharaoh's Heavy Heart"

Let us see first how the Quran addresses the issue of Pharao's heart before getting into the Biblical depiction. In the Quran it was not until after Pharao's obstinate rejection of God's signs that were actually meant at making him mend his ways 7:130-5,17:101-2,20:56,43:48 but that had the reverse effect of increasing his arrogance and folly, that his and his official's hearts were irreversibly hardened, kept away from the correct path 10:75-89,40:37. It is interesting that the Bible says the entire opposite. Pharao's heart was hardenned from the get go, before he even had a chance to reform himself by being exposed to Moses' message and miracles. 

In the Quran, instead of this being some kind of arbitrary and wanton divine curse, it is but a natural consequence of repeated, willful spiritual neglect to the point spirituality is degraded beyond repair. 

The Quran gives several transgressions, which, despite the warnings, brought Pharao closer to spiritual collapse; going as far as requesting for the building of a tower to reach for the heavens and disprove Moses' claims, misusing his powers without limits to prevent the people from practicing the true religion and establishing places of worship, and finally the direct attempt at murdering God's manifest messenger 44:20-22. Disbelievers of all times suffer the same consequences when they repeatedly deny God's signs 13:33. At that point, once it had been made clear that Moses' opponents will not desist from rejecting and will only increase further in their animosity, to the extent that Moses and his people had no other option but to flee, Moses invoked Allah's curse upon his enemies, asking that God might harden Pharao's heart and destroy what gave him the ability to oppress the people and corrupt the land, and God accepted Moses' prayer instantly.

As already shown, Pharao and his ministers were already engaging in the typical behavior of spiritual self-destruction. They were going to meet the natural consequences of their behavior with or without the Moses' prayers. In fact in introduction to the story of Moses and as a reminder of His established system of moral accountability and causality, God says that a seal is set on the hearts of those who repeatedly reject and transgress when the clear communications of the prophets come to them 10:74, as was Pharao's case.

And regarding the utter destruction of his power, this came in answer to Pharao's repeated rejection of the signs, including the 9 manifest signs 7:133,17:101 until the final one and Moses was warned to flee the land by night with his people before the punishement was inflicted

26:52-68,43:49-56,44:23-30,7:134-6"if you remove the plague from us, we will certainly believe in you and we will certainly send away with you the children of Israel. But when We removed the plague from them till a term which they should attain lo! they broke (the promise). Therefore We inflicted retribution on them and drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them".

This is just Another instance of the Quran restoring the truth of what was forgotten and distorted

20:99"Thus do We relate to you (some) of the news of what has gone before; and indeed We have given to you a Reminder from Ourselves".