Islam critiqued provokes further discussions; magic in Islam?

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

On a more general note, unrelated to this youtuber's coments, i will clarify the Quran's general stance on the issues of occult sciences. 

Magic or witchcraft are qualified with the word sihr, from the root S-Ha-R meaning to make things look other than what they actually are, ie deception. There are 3 ways one can try and achieve that objective; the trick or slight of hand, the chemistry and the psychological manipulation, all of themmeant at deceiving one into perceiving something else than what is actually occuring. These practices have therefore no intrinsic power. Sorcery at that time consisted of worshipping the jinn and straying from monotheism and that is why the Quran and the traditions warn against these practices. 

Throughout the Quran, sorcery has always been associated with evil-mindedness, perverse beliefs, evil deeds and terrifying intimidation of people. It in addition is an act of apostasy to believe in the influence of false gods and the jinn who were worshipped in the process. Muslim jurists the likes of Malik ibn Anas considered sorcery as a manifestation of its practitioner’s perverted faith and prescribed punishments for it.

When relating Moses' public confrontation with Pharaoh's sorcerers, the Quran says that they

7:116"saharoo aAAyuna alnnasi/they tricked the eyes of the people",

the point being that magic is about tricking the eyes to think that what it sees is reality when it is not. There are some reports in hadith literature speaking of people attempting to bewitch the prophet, and even succeeding for a short lapse of time, confusing him in conjugal matters. In Bukhari and Muslim, the time span under which the prophet was affected is said to be 40 days. Weaker reports as narrated by ibn Saad from ibn al Hakam speak of 6 months. None however speak of whatever the prophet was afflicted with as "black magic". The scholars have referred to it as illusion, in conformity with the meaning of the word as stated earlier. It is known that to the prophet, besides being dutiful in his prophetic task of conveying the divine message, an area beyond the reach of evil interference, his second priority was being dutiful as a husband. Due to his outstanding daily responsibilities, the Quran gave him leeway in that aspect and yet, as attested in the traditions he would do his utmost to spend in an equal amount of time with each of his wives. Since this aspect of his private life was most important to him, he thus felt confused in that specific matter and in nothing else, by whatever evil had affected his perception of reality. It is not like the author of the illusion had intended to affect this specific matter in the prophet's life. Assuming the reports as true for argument's sake, a crafty magic trick/illusion can certainly confuse anyone momentarily, in any kind of matter, just as what happened to Moses as he was deceived by the sorcerers' slight of hand 20:66.

Both Moses and Muhammad were eventually given the inner strength by God to heal from the effect.

Further, something which is highly inconvenient to those Islam critics who mainly use those reports to discredit the prophet, he actually is described therein as receiving a vision indicating the author of the sihr as well as the location of the device he used. False prophets dont receive divine visions and after finding the device, the prophet doesnt destroy it because God cured him, meaning the tool used had no power in and of itself. 

"Those around him said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we not head toward that evil person and kill him?’ He said: ‘As for me, Allah has cured me, and I dislike causing evil to other people’. This is of the forbearance of the Messenger of Allah”.

To further corroborate the prophet, in such cases simply advised observing a certain diet, relevant to his own environment, composed of 7 ajwa dates of the type growing in Aliya near Medina, eaten over 7 days at breakfast as a means by which the body is detoxified as well as safeguarded from the psychological manipulations of sihr (the health benefits of that diet were thought to keep the mind sharp and aware against such endeavors). 

This is far from, and not even comparable to the absurd idea proposed in the Greek Testament of Christians able to neutralize deadly poison in Jesus' name. It is to be kept in mind however that the supposed confusion the prophet was victim of, never pertained to divine communications, an area time and again declared as protected from any interference, human or else, from its descent from heaven until it is delivered to the prophet's heart and transmitted to the people. The Quran for example, in the context of truthfulness of prophethood and divine origin of the Book, repeatedly denies the claims made by his contemporaries that he might be demon possessed or under the effect of the jinn 16:98-100,26:221-3,69:41-2,81:22-25 or under a spell or that he is himself a magician/sorcerer 17:47-8,25:8-9,38:4,51:52-6 as other prophets were similarly calumnied.

That deception, commonly called magic or sorcery, is fully encompassed by God's knowlegde and power, not allowing it to affect anything or anyone except by His own will, meaning it has no power in and of itself

"they can harm none thereby save by God's leave".

It further states that the only thing one can be sure of, is that seeking such a means of deception is harmful to the seeker himself, and will never benefit him in anyway

"they acquire a knowledge that only harms themselves and does not benefit them".

This is demonstrated by the clear declaration of the 2 angelic messengers of Babylon, Harut and Marut, telling the people not to become deniers of the truth by misusing what was revealed upon them from knowledge. But that is exactly what many did. Following the examples and whisperings of evil beings (men or jinn), they began practicing the knowledge acquired from the messengers in deceitful ways, contrary to the original intent, ultimately harming themselves only and not benefiting from the practice in anyway, shape or form. Had the "sorcery" ritual been successful in its evil objective, they would have found some kind of benefit in it, yet the Quran negates that this endeavour can result in any kind of benefit.

We find that notion reflected in the ahadith where the prophet stated 

“There is no ‘adwaa (contagious diseases), no tiyarah (bird omens), no haamah (various superstitions in regards to dead people), and no Safar (unlucky month in pre-islamic times or the bite of a serpent inside the belly causing hunger)”. 

Each of these processes may only have an effect if God allows it. Contagious diseases were known to the Arabs, and the prophet stated 

“Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion” 

just as he warned 

"the cattle suffering from a disease should not be mixed with healthy cattle". 

This is meant so as to avoid infections. However, one should keep in mind that nothing has any effect unless God allows the process to occur 

“The Messenger of Allah said: ‘There is no ‘Adwa, no omen, and no Hamah.’ A man stood up and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what if a camel has mange and another camel gets mange from it?’ He said: ‘That is the Divine decree. Who causes the mange in the first one?’”

The prophet here, as well as the Quran in many places, convey the notion of ultimate monotheism, Allah as the only uncaused cause, as the ultimate cause of all things and processes. The pre-islamic Arabs either removed Allah from the equation when attempting to explain an observable phenomenon like infection, or invented a cause, like bad omens.

It is with such perspective in mind that the passage of sura falaq where we seek protection with God from the

113:4"nafathat fil uqad"

must be understood. The phrase lit. means "the blowers on knots". It was an idiom in pre-Islamic Arabia designating all supposedly occult endeavours. The Quran negates that such practices can benefit in any way the one that resorts to them and has labelled them a sin. The sin consists not in that they might possibly harm anyone using magical powers but in the very thought of possessing some supernatural abilities without God's license. When we seek protection from the evil of those who practice occultism, not from their actions or supposed powers and effects, we recognize the principle already stated in

2:102"they can harm none thereby save by God's leave".

We put our trust in God against all evil endeavours, not to undo any kind of magic spells. Just as the 2 angels' noble teachings can be used in an evil manner, contrary to the original intent, the Quran itself can be misused in a similar way, contrary to its original intent. There are verses, the mutashabihaat, that allow multiple understandings because of the general nature of their words and context, as well as the subject treated, and all are acceptable so long as they agree with the rules of language and the muhkamat verses. But as stated in the passage speaking of the issue, those in whose heart their is perversity go after the mutashabihaat solely to create confusion, through ascribing arbitrary conclusions to those verses 3:7.

As regards Harut and Marut, the verse 2:102 isnt specific on the nature of the revelation upon the angels. But what is known is that it was a divine revelation, not magic or deceptive tricks. The verse speaks of 2 groups transmitting knowledge to completely different ends;
- the shayateen (men or jinn) that teach sihr/trickery combined with what they learned from the angels, for sinful ends. The reason they would need to do so would be to deceive the people into thinking that sihr is a divinely condoned practice. This is done up to this day with charlatans using Quranic passages in fanciful ways and rituals. This includes the use of devices upon which one puts his trust instead of Allah

"the prophet said: Verily, spells, amulets, and charms are acts of idolatry".

Even Quran amulets, although not a prophetic practice, all schools of Islamic thought agree that their only virtue is in reminding one to invoke the sacred words they contain.

- the angels that teach divine revelation, warning their audience of whom they perceived the inclination to disbelief, not to misuse that knowledge to evil ends and thereby damage their soul. Some did not heed the warnings and only learned from them the bits that cause harm. As already explained and as seen everyday, the Quran itself can be misused in such a manner, with people taking bits of passages, stripping them from the direct and wider context, then applying that knowledge in harmful ways.

As a side note on 113:4, if we disregard the idiomatic understanding of the verse it can be understood in a different way that equally fits the context. Nafathat is the plural of naffath, which is an intensive nominative from nafatha, meaning primarily he blew. But nafatha also can be taken for inspiring ie influencing the mind. Uqad, the plural of uqdah doesnt only mean knots but also judgments, management, regulating and ordering of one's affairs, a promise of obedience or vow of allegiance. Naffathat fil uqad can also thus be those who put evil suggestions into the resolution of men or into the management of their affairs. What should finally be kept in mind as a decisive Quranic position whenever those issues of magic, or witchcraft are presented as some influencing factors in wordly causality, is that Iblis himself, the archdeceiver and ultimate external source of evil is presented in the Quran as no more than a mere whisperer, unable to coerce in any way those that listen to his suggestions, hence his description "waswas ilkhannas"/the whisperer that withdraws.

Solomonic lore and other occult sciences

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

The story of Solomon and the jinn as given in the Quran is meant at clarifying several issues. 

IT first and foremost is a forecful negation of popular superstitions like the supposed ability of some humans to control the jinn. Solomon was given unlimited mastery over them, had the capacity to summon and use the jinn, the evil as well as the good ones, at will, and for the accomplishement of positive actions only 27:17,38-41. This however was a favor from God and was done by God's express command. Their subjection, despite the rebellious nature of the sinful ones among them, was not of Solomon's own will or power and the jinns concerned had no say in the matter or else they would face God's chastisement. They were under God's complete control in the process 21:81-2 meaning Solomon by himself had absolutely no special ability that allowed him the possibility to master them the way he did, use them at will and without any fear of having to render an account 34:12,38:36-38. In Jewish oral tradition however, it is stated that Solomon was overpowered by one of those demons, Ashmadai who chased him from his throne. 

That such an eminent personality, favored by God and drawn near to Him, a prophet imparted knowledge of the unseen like all prophets, was not able to control the jinn except by God's will is an emphatic rejection of the claim that some random people with alleged powers have the capacity to summon them at will, and make them perform certain tasks (most of the time for evil purposes) or obtain hidden knowledge (another belief concerning the jinn rejected by the Quran 34:14). 

On a more specific note, it also negates the notion that solomon himself, contrary to the suspicions and calumnies of some of his contemporaries and the subsequent generations, used to practice the occult sciences

2:102"And they followed what the Shaitans chanted of sorcery in the reign of Sulaiman, and Sulaiman was not an unbeliever, but the Shaitans disbelieved".

We see traces of these allegations even in the Jewish historian Josephus' works. He relates how Solomon had, through incantations and the use of the occult sciences, mastery of demons, could perform exorcisms. He speaks of a Jew contemporary to him that made use of these Solomonic practices. Obviously the people misinterpreted Sulayman's ability, granted to him by God, of controling entities of the unseen for his own benefit. Such falsehood is abundantly found in a wide variety of Solomonic lore, including the 5th century CE Testament of Solomon, each drawing from oneanother as well as other lost sources, written and oral. Particularly among Greek Christians that used amulets, medallions seals or rings with his name. What we find in certain Jewish traditions in regards his perception of the language and behavior of birds, is that his ability wasnt a divine gift but due to his mastery of ornithomancy, an occult science involving birds (Pesika de-Rav Kahana, Ecclesiastes Rabbah). Here again, just as it does with his other supernatural abilities where clearly states they were divinely granted gifts to him, and that Solomon was humbly grateful to his Lord, it introduces the story of Solomon's interraction with the brid messenger with a prayer

27:19"My Lord, grant me that I should be grateful for Your favor that You bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I should do good such as You would be pleased with, and make me enter, by Your mercy, into Your servants, the good ones".

Islam critiqued compares the extremes; The disgraced mad poets and the noble prophets

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

When the prophet's opponents charged him for being a mad poet, the calumny does not come in the context of him putting religious themes in a poetic speech. Preislamic poetry abounded in themes varrying from vivid lustful language to history, soothsaying, propaganda, incitements against other tribes, to epic tales of honor, mentions of Allah and/or other deities, mention of Abraham and the sacrifice, praise of the holy sanctuary etc. So it is not true that the contemporaries of the prophet would find it odd for honorable and religious themes to be included in poetry. 

Yet when the Quran addressed each of those themes, it did so with refinement and a meaningful choice of words and structure that gave a multifaceted, intricate moral and spiritual dimension to the issue. They could not classify it in any genre due to many factors, including contents and form. The many intricate types and subtypes of the Jahiliyya poetry are well known, and it is the Quran's particular structure, not belonging to any of the established pattern, that made them unable to counter it.

Ibn Ishaq recorded al-Walid bin Mugira's reaction to the Quran:

"They said, "He is a kahin." He said, "By God, he is not that, for we have seen the kahins, and his (speech) is not unintelligible murmuring (zamzama) and rhymed prose (sajc) of a kahin." "Then he is possessed (majnun)," they said. "No, he is not that," he said. "We have seen and known the possessed state, and here is no choking, spasmodic movements, and whispering." "Then he is a poet," they said. "He is not that," he replied. "We have known poetry in all its forms and meters, and this is not poetry." "Then he is a sorcerer," they said. "No, he is not that," he said, "for we have seen sorcerers and their sorcery, and here is no spitting and no knots." 

When the prophet's early opponents completely ostracized the Bani Hashim and Muttalib by organizing a severe social and economic blocade on them, they in parralel also commissioned the most eloquent of their poets to ridicule him, his followers and his message. They propagated false rumors on him to all pilgrims coming in and out of the city who were his main audience, as well as in the markets. They maintained that the reason why the Quran appealed to people was not that it was revealed by God but because Muhammad possessed such a strong eloquent expression he could charm the people 21:3. They held that he fabricated the verses of the Quran with the help of some Satanic Jinn and presented these before the people in the garb of divine inspirations. The Quran mentions these charges at various places and then answers them

26:210-212"And the Shaitans have not come down with it. And it behoves them not, and they have not the power to do (it). Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".

The words "it behoves them not" imply that Satan would not do something against his own mission. This is the same kind of argument, as was adopted by Jesus in response to the Pharisees in Lk11. Evil forces have no power over it and it shows from the idolators and their jinns' failure to the Quran's repeated challenges to come up with 3 sentences like it. And on the accusations of him being an eloquent and demon possessed poet, the Quran would use simple observation to refute their claims, firstly by pointing to the well known and undisputed upright character of Muhammad

36:69-70"And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it meet for him; it is nothing but a reminder and a plain Quran. That it may warn him who would have life, and (that) the word may prove true against the unbelievers".

The Quran would also contrast those who followed the prophet and those who listened to and followed these kinds of mad, demon possessed poets

26:224-226"And those who are strayed follow the poets. Did you not notice that they wander everywhere? And they say what they practice not".

The verse raises the point that those who followed the poets had a sinful nature, because of the nature of the poems the likes of those of Imrul-Qays, incited in their hearts while those who were captivated by the Quran's eloquence, that was obviously different than the rhetoric of the enchanters, were another kind of people. What the prophet was reciting was obviously more than poetic lofty thoughts, and some predictions like those of the sooth-sayers, and those who will keep opposing him will be deprived of its wisdom 10:1-2.

Acts17apologetics bows to the righteous; how many Islamic role models?

In answer to the video "Islamicize Me Day 8: Urine Luck!"

Just as Muhammad was uswa hasana, Ibrahim and the believers in his nations are called uswa hasana 60:4-6 and to follow the prophet 3:31 means to follow the revelation sent to him 6:106,33:2. Muhammad and the Muslims are told to follow the way of Ibrahim, this can only be achieved through the Quran which is the reminder of his way 16:123,4:125,3:95. It was indeed the Quran that guided Muhammad to the way of Ibrahim 6:161.

The Quran also says to follow the pious, humble believers 31:15 and this again only means to follow them in their obedience to Allah's commands, in their belief in His revelation because

6:116"if you obey most of those in the earth, they will lead you astray from Allah's way; they follow but conjecture and they only lie".

The prophetic sunna is thus the manner in which the prophet applied the timeless ordinances of the Quran in his own time and place. It does not necessarily include his personal likes and dislikes, or particular recommendations which in the vast majority of cases the prophet himself never claimed were inspired. He gently declined eating a roasted lizard out of personal taste, leaving those around him to freely eat as they wished. Certain of his own standards of body hygiene, like trimming the mustache, letting the beard grow, using the toothstick, sniffing water into the nose, clipping the nails, washing the knuckles, removing hair from the underarms, shaving pubic hair, cleaning the private parts with water, rinsing the mouth etc, or the manner he slept, ate or dressed, all reflected the needs, culture and manners of a specific time in history.

 A case in point would be the instance where the Prophet allowed an adopted freed slave who had reached puberty to drink his adoptive mother's breast milk, to put the husband at ease. As adoption in Islam doesn't entail blood relationship, this action created a fostership link, making it impossible for them to be married afterwards. This was an exception to the general rule that fostership is only possible prior to 2years old, and was allowed by the prophet to bring peace within this household where the young man had been living for years prior to reaching puberty. Neither he could be turned out, nor was his adoptive mother to have to veil in his presence. The solution was relevant to the Arabian culture of the time.  Furthermore, the situation in which this household found itself, occured while the Quranic restrictions as regards adoption and veiling were being revealed. No cases would thus arise in the future where the permission of the prophet as regards late fostership would apply. Of course, and as understood by the hadith commentators the servant did not touch his mistress or drink from her breast, as it would have defeated the purpose of the act from the start. The hadith doesn't say to drink FROM her breast but her breast MILK

Also one doesnt need, in all cases, to apply saliva or suck on a child's tongue to relieve him from thirst as the prophet and desert Arabs did when in the absence of water in the extreme conditions of their environment. 

"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, heard Hasan and Hussein crying while they were with their mother, so he hurried to them and he said: What is the matter with my boys? Their mother said: It is thirst". As the water source had dried out, the Prophet called out: "Does anyone have any water?" As nobody answered, he asked for one of his grandchildren be brought to him "He massaged his tongue and moistened it until he calmed down".

This obviously is a practical solution to a specific situation. We arent talking here of rubbing adult tongues and ears with one's saliva as some are depicted in the NT Mk7:33,Jn9:6.

All his practices and utterances, outside of the Quran, cannot be automatically assumed as divinely inspired, and the Quran itself sometimes disapproves of some of his deeds and words 66:1,80:1-10.

The same is the case of other prophets, including as eminent as Ibrahim who, despite of being an illustrious example to emulate, imitating him does not include all aspects of his life deeds 60:4.

That is why the Quran repeatedly announces obedience to the messenger instead of 'Muhammad', albeit they are the same person. The 'message' remained connected to the 'messenger' and it was in this capacity of the 'messenger' that Muhammad needed to be obeyed. The Prophet forbade Muslims to write down anything other than the Quran. And effectively, the traditions weren't compiled until centuries following his death. The reason was that he used to make statements and deal with people in different ways that were the result of particular circumstances, which narrators might believe to be of universal and permanent bearing.

From divine knowledge, the prophet Muhammad had only access to what His Lord granted him 6:50,7:203,72:26-7. That knowledge took the form of a divine scripture to

16:64"make clear to them that about which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe".

Muhammad believed

7:158"in Allah and His words (the Quran)"

this is why Allah tells us to

"follow him so that you may be guided".

To follow Muhammad means to follow what was sent to him from signs and/or revelation

7:157"and follow the light which has been sent down with him".

CIRA International expose Islamic contradiction; why pray when already guided?

In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

76:3,90:8-10,91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it".

The concept of freewill and accountability that distinguishes mankind from the rest of creation 2:30,64:1-2 presupposes the free ability to do both good and evil. Man is therefore not a spiritualy static, stagnant entity.

There is an ingrained guidance, the fitra by which one is able to instinctively recognize the great moral truths, sense an overall purpose for life, feel the presence of a Creator, and reasonably derive the conclusion that one must be accountable to Him. But, by virtue of what makes us humans in the first place, the freedom to choose between different paths, one is never forced to make the right spiritual and life choices. So, just like one is equiped with a brain that knows certain beneficial and harmful things and yet the person may still do things that go against that firm knowledge, similarly one may contravene the instinctive spiritual awareness through choices that contradict its firm knowledge.

There is thus in man a mechanism, a driving force that creates a flux. It is al nafs allawwama/the self-reproaching soul 75:2 which much be nurtured and trained to confront the moral obstacles in one's life. The more it is trained the more it morphs into a positive state called al nafs al mutmainna 89:27 and the more it is neglected the more it changes into al nafs al'ammara bil sou'/the soul that incites to evil 12:53. One has therefore to train and purify his spiritual side just as he would train and strengthen his physical body, and make it rise to the noblest spiritual station. This is done through 'ibada, the act of servitude to God in every possible aspect of one's life.

In sura maarij for example, it speaks of man's tendency to be hasty and of impatient disposition, somewhere else referred to as an ingrained weakness of human nature 4:28.

 This is the manifestation of man's animalistic side, seeking immediate satisfaction of base desires regardless of the consequences. That tendency however can be tamed, as already said, through 'ibada or what the Quran calls the essential purpose of mankind 51:56. It includes regular prayer, then a commitment towards fellow humans in need, hearkening one's sense of moral accountability (the self-reproaching soul), understanding God's threat of chastisement and never feeling secure or self-conceited in the matter, maintaining all that is connected to sexuality inside specific boundaries, being trustworthy and act upon one's word 70:18-35.

So what is so special about prayer. It is the real means by which one is constantly kept on the right path, continuously reminded and spiritually "refuled" throughout the day and night. In a parable, the prophet likened the prayers to a wholesome stream by the person's doorsteps, available for the spiritual cleansing of the one washing and bathing in it daily. It is the "call" of God to the believers, and every obedient worshipper answers it duly 43:38. While a believer can certainly engage in worship such as remembering or glorifying God at any time

3:191"standing, sitting or lying on their sides"

some periods of time have special and unique blessings associated with them. Praying cannot be confined to moments of inspiration or desperation - praying only when one is moved by events and "feels like" praying. Anyone who waits for the mood to strike is not a praying person, and probably will not be able to pray authentically even when the mood arrives.
One needs to domesticate the stimulus - to make prayer a natural, comfortable event, a day-to-day happening. Ritual prayer is designed to become second nature, a part of a person, a daily diet. In that way, one comes to be on comfortable speaking terms with God, who, in turn, becomes accessible, almost a conversation partner. There is also a form of religious arrogance in wanting to pray as one feels like it. Taking the example of the change of qibla, the Quran explains that Without God's commission, no place has spiritual excellence or preference in its own essence. The direction in itself is therefore not something to be disputed and argued about. If one wishes to remain in a specific direction as if the place is intrinsically sacred then he may do so. He would have however disobeyed a divine injunction, prioritizing his personal desires and preferences

 2:143,148,177"and We did not make that which you would have to be the qiblah but that We might distinguish him who follows the Messenger from him who turns back upon his heels, and this was surely hard except for those whom Allah has guided aright...And every one has a direction to which he should turn, therefore hasten to (do) good works; wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together...It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, but righteousness is this that one should believe in Allah and the last day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for (the emancipation of) the captives, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate; and the performers of their promise when they make a promise, and the patient in distress and affliction and in time of conflicts-- these are they who are true (to themselves) and these are they who guard (against evil)". 

This is the general principle behind every ritual, to do as one is told, as evidence of submission to the way of God. That is one of the reasons prayers for instance, are made at specific times, with even intervals where they cannot be offered. Islam is the purest form of servitude to God's will, leaving no place even for religious arrogance 

"The Prophet forbade praying after the Fajr prayer till the sun rises and after the 'Asr prayer till the sun sets". 

One can of course recite the Quran, reflect on spiritual matters or make dua/supplications in those restricted intervals.

Linguistically, among the few potential roots all related to another in a certain aspect, salaat stems from silah meaning a close connection. In a horse race, when the second horse follows the first one so closely that its head always overlaps the first horse's head, that horse is called the musalli. The word is thus highly appropriate, as it describes the most essential manner by which the believer holds permanent and perpetual contact with the great Origin of Creation, establishing a relationship with Him, expressing and internalizing his humility, obedience, gratefulness, seeking guidance, protection and forgiveness, as well as imitating the way of the righteous among the prophets and their followers. It is the most significant manifestation of one's humility, refusal to become complacent simply because of "belonging" to a certain group.

But what about Jesus, why did he need to pray, even beg himself/God, bowing with his forehead on the ground to save himself from his own masterplanned sacrifice at the cross? And why did he teach others to pray if one is sinful anyway and nothing one can do by oneself can earn salvation?

CIRA International discuss spiritual genetics; Adam's fall curses mankind?

In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

Just as in the Quran, as will be shown later, the HB teaches that mankind's purpose was to live on earth, not in paradise.

The primary purpose for which Adam and Eve were created per the HB, was to fill the earth and rule over the living creatures Gen1:28-29,2:5. They were created from the ground of the earth (not heaven) Gen2:7-8. Adam and Eve's "immortality" was tied to eating from the Tree of Life, which they could freely access as the Garden of Eden's caretakers Gen2:15-17. Since their "immortality" was conditioned on their staying in the Garden of Eden, it means that they were actually mortal human beings who were able to benefit from the privilege of eating the fruit of the Tree of Life to stay alive indefinitely. Their transgression, marked by the eating from another tree, the tree of knowledge, which imbued them with consciousness of both good and evil resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. With that expulsion, their ability to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Life stopped. Had they kept eating from the tree of life, now that they are aware of not only good, but also evil, the result could have been that spiritually degenerate people and criminals might live forever. A type of angel, an angel of destruction, the cherubim was tasked with guarding the garden's entrance to prevent that eventuality.

Thus the result of their expulsion is that they eventually died.

Despite certain important variations, many fundamental aspects remain in the HB and parallel with the Quranic account, including the fact that it must have been God's plan from the beginning to ultimately place mankind on the earth, as His vicegerents. The main areas where the Quran disagrees with the Torah is that in the latter, the knowledge of good and evil were concealed from man in a "tree of knowledge" whereas the Quran clearly states that this spiritual feature is ingrained and hardwired in man.

According to the interpolated HB, when man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good an evil, man "became like one of us", against God's will and desire. According to the Quran, God "breathed into man of his spirit" and in sura Shams, defines it as

"He inspired the soul with the knowledge of evil and good",

meaning he was meant to "become like us". The HB still contains elements of this reality when it states that man was created in the "image of God". 

This is one of many examples of Quranic intertextuality, the Quran's purposeful engagement with the biblical narrative, correcting it in a profound manner in accordance with its own distinctive theological message.

We thus see the Quran giving a consistent, comprehensive picture of creation from the beginning. Mankind were made mortals from the start 2:30 so as to allow them to be tested in their spiritual resolve and ultimately held accountable in the afterlife

 67:1-2"Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent - who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving". 

All tools are put at man's disposal to pass this test; both inner and outward. Senses of spiritual perception to derive the higher meaning from the constant processes of this universe, and direct guidance through chosen individuals who communicate the will of the Creator. All these arrangements do not necessitate that man will succeed, or else there would be no test. Rather man was created as a volitional creature, with a neutral spiritual nature 30:30 that is shaped and developed according to one's moral choices throughout life 91:7-10. Death is therefore not an accident, nor is mankind of flawed spiritual disposition. In the Christian model, the purpose of man was redefined in the course of history. Although he was first made to live forever in heaven, man's disobedience sent him to this world and caused him to wander aimlessly as all his thoughts and deeds became stained with sin. At one point God created a device to compensate for that inherent human flaw, which is a divine sacrifice, thereby giving man a new purpose; accepting Jesus' sacrifice.

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In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

As shown earlier, Adam and Eve were forgiven without delay as denoted with the particle "fa" 2:37, and told again to leave the garden, that they and their future generations will find outside of it the proper divine guidance to recover the state of spiritual happiness they have lost 2:38,20:123.

From a linguistic perspective it is also worthwhile to note the use of talaqqa in 2:37 in regards to the guidance of Adam. It is a word denoting a pleasant encounter, it is used in the Quran in the context of the angels receiving the righteous' soul at death and also welcoming the dwellers of heaven. This further stresses that God did not resent Adam following the incident, Adam met his Creator with pleasant words.

This sums up the Creator's interaction with the first human vicegerents.

It is important noting, the Quran repeatedly says both Adam and his wife were simultaneously mislead, by Iblis and not by oneanother 7:20. It even specifically points to Adam's misguidance 20:120 while it never mentions his wife alone in that context. The prophet said 

"were it not for Eve, no woman would ever betray her husband".

 It is always important not to try and read too much into a quote made a very long time ago, detached from its direct context. Especially if it is done in ignorance of the established patterns related to the subject, as are found in the Quran and the vast corpus of ahadith. The statement doesnt say what was the nature of Eve's betrayal although it is assumed it has to do with the incident of the tree. It doesnt speak of ingrained sinfulness or bad behavior, neither does it generalize Eve's action as affecting all women. It simply says, if a woman betrays her husband then it is somehow connected to Eve's betrayal of Adam. We will never establish the chain of events linking our current experiences and actions all the way to Adam and Eve. But this hadith tells us the connection exists. Eve established a pattern that was perpetrated to all her female descendants, the same way one learns a behavior from his parents, who got it from their parents and so on.

No blame or anger were expressed on anyone or anything, following their repentance and complete forgiveness. No curses were inflicted as senselessly allegedly done by God in the Biblical account, much less on women Gen3.

The Quran for example strikes right at the idea of the process of pregnancy being a cursed punishment, simply through its wording, calling the womb "al-rahm". The word stems from the same root describing God's most manifest attribute of rahman. The throes of pregnancy or childbirth, if experienced, arent in anyway an evil punishment, just like other physical processes involving pain that humans may experience everyday arent curses. Although the pain of labor is what most women worry about, it actually is an important component of childbirth. It incites women to find their own ways of facilitating birth, instinctively guiding the laboring woman into positions and activities in response to what she feels, increasing the strength and efficiency of the contractions and encouraging the baby to settle in and move down the birth canal, protecting the muscles of the birth canal and perineum and the baby as he is born. When the pain is entirely removed, the feedback system is disrupted and labor is likely to slow down and become less efficient, besides the other known complications of suppressing it using modern techniques such as an epidural injection. As labor progresses and pain increases, endorphins (much more potent than morphine) are released in increasing amounts. The result is a natural, not total, decrease in pain perception. On the other hand, the rising level of endorphins also contributes to a shift from a thinking, rational mind-set to a more instinctive one. Endorphins create a dream-like state, which actually helps women manage the tasks of birthing. Inner experiences become more important than the external environment. As labor progresses and the pain of labor increases, women “go into themselves,” become much less aware and, at the same time, much more focused on the work of labor, and are able to tap into an inner, instinctive wisdom.

Another angle through which the Quran demonstrates mankind's potential to spiritual success, through this very mistake of Adam and Eve, is by presenting the story also from the perspective of Iblis. His disobedience was due to willful rebellion, leading him to more obduracy even after his confrontation with God. But Adam and Eve, whose transgression was a mistake immidiately felt shame, accepted the consequences of their transgression, took full responsibility for their act and began seeking God's forgiveness. Consequently, they found God merciful. 

Although the Bible casts the major part of the blame on Eve who was deceived first and then tempted Adam 1Tim2:14, thus paving the way for the severe misogynism of Judeo-Christian scriptures, the account in both the Quran and the HB obviously shows it was forgetfulness and negligence that made them disobey God's command

20:115"nasiya/he forgot, and We found no firmness of purpose in him". 

 What both Adam and his wife forgot was God's warning as regards Iblis' intentions towards them "Surely he is your open enemy". They genuinely thought he was their well wisher. It was not a deliberate act of rebellion and conscious transgression.

It was not a deliberate act of rebellion and conscious transgression. After their mistake they became of the thalimeen. The word means "to oppress" and it is used in the Quran for oppressing another or oppressing oneself. It is the latter that is meant for Adam and Eve. In Quran terminology, all sins, deliberate or not, are considered a harm to the self. It was not rebellion that made Adam and Eve sin. Their subsequent feelings of shame and remorse even before God confronted them testifies to this fact (contrary to the example in 2:54). Allah Himself states it was forgetfulness of his warning that lead them to be prone to Iblis' whisperings. Their sin was not preceded by repeated and willful transgressions, revealing a rebellious tendency, as seen in 6:44,32:14.

All this reinforces the fact that their transgression was unintentional and the Quran declares that unintentional sins are mistakes 2:225,33:5. This parallels with the OT's account of the incident that eating from the tree was not a deliberate sin, but a mistake (cheit). 

God was thus demonstrating the eternal enmity between Iblis and mankind. The fundamental method in which the will would have to assert itself for a human being is by defeating his evil suggestions

 20:117"O Adam! This is an enemy to you and to your wife; therefore let him not drive you both forth from the garden so that you should be unhappy". 

God is warning them, He does not want them to leave the Garden *through the satan's deception* because it would result in a state of spiritual unhappiness 2:36,38. Iblis only desires that they live in a state of unhappiness and misery, the inevitable result of disobedience to God. But the Merciful declares that even in this life of toil on earth for which mankind was originally made, they can achieve the very happiness that they had in the garden. What causes happiness in this world is following the guidance laid down by God and constantly remembering Him 

13:28,22:77,64:16,20:123"..then whoever follows My guidance, he shall not go astray nor be unhappy".

As to misogyny, nothing in Islam remotely resembles what is found in Judeo-Christian texts and traditions, whose background is, as already stated, the events of the garden painting Eve as the first to sin, then leading Adam to sin, and because of that was condemned to be "restrained" through subjection to the rule of her husband forever Gen3. Prior to the modern era, that notion was interpreted as warranting physical punishment for marital disobedience, in both Jewish and Christian traditions. In Christian texts, through the writings attributed to Paul, male rulership is associated with physical coercion in case of disobedience. This includes disobedience of subjects to their ruler, slaves to their masters, children to their fathers, and by obvious analogy, wives to their husbands. Rom13:1-5,Titus2:9-10,Eph6:5,Heb12:5-11,1Tim3:4,Ex21:20-21,Prov23:13-14,20:30,13:24 etc.

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In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

As to the Quran, does it even remotely hint to such a concept of transmitted sin from Adam?

As already alluded to, Adam and Eve were always meant to go to the earth, prior to even their creation. In God's plan they were meant to be His temporary trustees on the earth, not in Heaven, and as mortals who would live and die on the "turab" from which they originated 2:30,35:39,38:71. It is precisely this aspect of their nature, their mortality, that Iblis seized upon to lure them into transgression, promising them immortality 7:20,20:120.

Humanity's goal was thus always to live on earth, Adam ad Eve's garden was therefore a temporary abode, just like the world outside the garden where they and their descendants are meant to exercise their vicegerency for a decreed time until they are returned to Allah for account. 

After the incident of the tree, their sincere repentence and God's forgiveness they were not kept in the Garden but sent to earth through a reiteration of the order to leave the garden that was stated prior to their repentance 2:36-8. Their repentance was accepted and they were nevertheless made to leave the garden, meaning it was not by way of punishment but as a matter of course. Had not the order to leave been repeated after their repentance was accepted, one would have erroneously concluded that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden because of their mistake. The couple being expelled from the garden had therefore nothing to do with a fall at all, and was God's plan from the beginning as demonstrated earlier.

The garden was thus an earthly transition place where man got acquainted with his self and his future responsibilities resulting from his capacity of freewill, this is why Iblis was allowed to play a part in it and why temptation was made possible.

Without getting into too much details of that very deep and intricate Quranic story, we jump right to the part when both Adam and Eve eat from the tree. After they ate from the tree and saw that their condition didnt change as promised to them by Iblis (they didnt become immortal angels), Adam and Eve realized their transgression as often happens when a sincere person comes back to his senses after a mistake or a sin, or when caught doing something wrong. They realized the importance of God's advise in regards to Iblis. Iblis was certainly not their well wisher as he was trying to portray himself. He had instead deceived them into inappropriately showing their nakedness

7:20-2"So, the shaytan whispered/waswasa to the two of them..And he swore to them both: Most surely I am a sincere adviser to you. So, he lured/fadallahuma them with falsehood.."  

4:120"He gives them promises and excites vain desires in them; and the Shaitan does not promise them but to deceive".

From a linguistic perspective, dallahuma stems from d-l-w used for the dangling of the bucket in a well to pull out water from it. It implies the anticipation of good results since succeeding in getting water is a good result and good expectation. It is also used in the context of animal hunting, slowly making it approach, attracted by a bucket at the end of a rope which is progressively drawn closer. Through the use of this word, as well as of waswasa, what transpires is that Iblis' deception succeeded only after many persistent and gradual exhortation.

As their senses came back to them, they realized what his true purpose was, and now knowing that the exposition of one's private parts is an unnatural, evil inspired deed, began immidiately piling up tree leaves upon themselves and sewing them

7:22"he mislead them through deceit; so when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became manifest to them, and they began to cover themselves with pieced-together leaves from the garden".

As stated in the HB

Gen3:7"And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles". 

They were then called out and confronted for their transgression

7:22"Did I not forbid you both from that tree and say to you that the Shaitan is your open enemy?".

They were told that although they had now lost all advantages they had in the garden in regards to general physical comfort, they would still find provision on the Earth until an appointed time 2:36,7:24. Adam and Eve accepted the consequences of their disobedience and took on themselves the full responsibility of their act, and immidiately asked God to forgive them 7:23.

In the Bible, they began immaturely fingerpointing eachother and refused to repent after which God banished them from the Garden.

This actually is one of the Quran's lessons from the story, when you blame Allah (as for example many do today when pointing to the alleged incompatibility of pre-knowledge and freewill, and as many did in the past as in Muhammad's time) you are like Iblis. But when you express genuine, humble curiosity you are like the angels who become worthy of being educated by God Himself. Another positive response is taking responsibility for a mistake, as did Adam and Eve, and thus earned God's guidance, were shown the way to His mercy, taught how to invoke His forgiveness

2:37,7:23,20:122"Then his Lord chose him, so He turned to him and guided (him)"

(as a side note, the HB speaks of there being proper ways to seek forgiveness from God, and the possibility of not knowing that proper way Isa47:11).

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In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

Whether man is a sinner by nature or not is immaterial to Judaism since it teaches the way to repentance and reconciliation with God.

The Torah says man has an inclination towards evil from youth not birth Gen8:21 but that doesnt make everyone a sinner from birth, having inherited Adam's sin, nor does it mean one is in a state of being from which he must be "saved". In fact even the non Jewish king of Tyre was found to be

Ezek28:15"perfect in your ways from the day you were created until wrongdoing was found in you".

Each person is accountable for his own sins and can find the way to forgiveness through sincere repentance and resolve in walking aright Ezek18:20-22,Deut24:16,2Kings14:6,Jer31:30,Job34:23. The passages often used in support of the transmissibility of sins, from father to son for example as in the context of the punishement of the Israelite nation throughout Jeremiah and Ezekiel, disregard the statements in those same books, saying that the son who does not walk in the footsteps of the sinful father is never punished for the latter's sins, only those who follow the sins of the parents are punished Ezek18:17-19.

Moral responsibility only applies after reaching maturity Deut1:39,James4:17. Man chooses to sin Isa66:3-4, against his good nature Eccl7:29, just as he can

Ps34:14"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it".

This is illustrated through the story of Abel and Cain. In

Gen4:7"Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? If you do not improve, however, at the entrance, sin is lying, and to you is its longing, but you can rule over it",

God speaks to Cain and tells him that good and evil are his choices and that he should choose good. God tells Cain that he can master evil and avoid falling in sin, it is an advise to choose the right path or face the consequences of sin.

There are therefore 2 possibilities depending on Cain's choice.

If God tells him that he must master evil it means it is in his capability, that there is no sinful nature unwillingly imposed on him preventing him from doing any type of good and following a command from God, otherwise why would He tell him to master his evil thoughts, why would God tell him to do something impossible to him and punish him for failing.

Later, Cain chooses to sin by killing his brother. This was done out of his freewill, and his failure to master his evil tendency does not mean that he didnt have the ability to do any good. If it was the case, God would not have told him that good and evil were his own choices, nor order him to master evil or face the consequence of his sin.

The most prevalent theme in the Jewish scriptures is that God relates to people according to their deeds, both good and bad. The sinful nature of man does not cancel out any good that we do, the actions of men find favor in the eyes of God Gen26:4. David is pointed as an example of righteousness that others should follow 1Kings11:38. This does not mean that he was sinless - he wasn’t. But it does mean that his sins did not nullify the good that he did. God chose to save life on this planet through the handiwork of the righteous Noah. Noah’s ark, which was built by Noah’s obedient action, was the means through which God recreated the world. The message is clear

Prov10:25"And the righteous one is the foundation of the world". 

Just like in Islam, freewill is a foundation of Judaism. From the very beginning, mankind's original design already included the capability of free will. The textual proof of this in the HB is that God issued a commandment to Adam; God doesnt issue pointless commandments and - if mankind lacked the free will to obey or disobey - then every commandment would be pointless.

Deut30:19"I call heaven and earth to bear witness this day, for I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you and our children may live".

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In answer to the video "Adam, Eve, Satan and The Fall in the Quran - The Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

So were do these Bible loving Christians get their idea of mankind's sinful curse? Certainly not from the HB, and especially not in the account of creation.

There are different types of sin in the Torah:

Pesha - An intentional sin, committed in deliberate defiance of God
Ovon - A sin of lust or uncontrollable emotion, done knowingly but not done to defy God;
Cheit - An unintentional sin, the word comes from an arrow that misses its target. The result may have ramifications, but the act was not done with malice aforethought.

Most of the time they are defined through context.

The sin commited by Adam and Eve was cheit, because it was neither a pesha nor an ovon. God then gave them the opportunity to repent: he asked Adam "Where are you?" God knows all things so his intention was to give Adam an opportunity to admit what he had done wrong, which they didnt: Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve.

God doesnt punish anyone immediately after eating from the tree, because it was a cheit type of "sin" or mistake as seen from its use in Judges20:16. It is after the immature finger pointing and refusal to take responsibility and repent that God sends everyone out of the garden meaning what really caused their banishement was their stubborness and refusal to repent, otherwise they would have been sent away right after eating from the tree. Therefore the real sin was not eating the forbidden fruit (cheit, mistake) rather it was the fact of not taking responsibility and refusal to repent.

Then God curses the serpent with "arur atah" which is never used next when He addresses Adam and Eve. God tells them "arurah ha'adamah", cursed is the earth/ground. This speaks of the earth/ground that Adam will have to work - but God does not curse Adam nor Eve.

This is the major point lost by Christians, God did not curse (arur) Adam nor Eve by causing them to unwillingly inherit a sinful nature to their descendants; they were punished (not cursed = arur) with the pain from childbirth, subjugation of women to men, and having to work for food. This has nothing to do with sin or cursing man with a sinful nature.