In answer to the video "Muhammad's Destruction of Idols"
The fact is that so many factors in the prophet's life went against displaying any sort of positivity and mercy that one can only conclude that he had been preserved and guided by the Almighty from turning into an evil despot; never knew his father, hardly enjoyed the compassion of his mother, lost his grandfather, and then his uncle and dearest wife simultaneously, witnessed every single one of his children die save for one, who was treated like a menace and fugitive after decades of building a flawless reputation among his people, on top of that physically abused until he would faint, starved for years by his own people, and faced countless campaigns of character assassination, directed towards him and his household, driven out of his home, unto a foreign town only to find hypocrites there awaiting every opportunity to betray him, then watching assassination attempts against his life unfold regularly, as well as the murder and mutilation of his relatives and companions.
Who could in such circumstances persevere and rise beyond negativity, displaying mercy, justice and empathy besides one divinely guided?
This is why we find in this Quran, and as embodied by the prophet, that it calls Muslims to treating others, whether close or far "neighbors", from one's own people or not, as they themselves would like to be treated. It was a way of life of the prophet who taught the people the general axiom that
"Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind".
Whenever the Quran encourages fair treatment, it does so by instilling empathy
4:9"Let those who would fear for the future of their own helpless children, if they were to die, show the same concern for orphans, let them be mindful of God and speak out for justice".
That type of imaginative role-reversal is a recurrent theme 4:36,42:23,83:1-6. Treating others even better than what is expected towards one's self, opens the possibility to create a positive change even in one's enemy 41:34,59:9. This shows how altruism in the Quran, although seemingly over empathetic, actually remains pragmatic by extending fair treatment even to one's enemies in certain cases. The prophet said
"Whoever would love to be delivered from the Hellfire and entered into Paradise, then let him die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and let him treat the people the way he would love to be treated".
In another narration of the prophet, those who are able to show such selflessness are described as neither belonging to the prophets or martyrs, but the prophets and martyrs will envy them due to their status on the Day of Resurrection
"The best faith is to love for the sake of Allah, to hate for the sake of Allah, and to work your tongue in the remembrance of Allah. Mu’adh said, “What is it, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said: That you love for the people what you love for yourself, and you hate for the people what you hate for yourself, and that you speak goodness or remain silent".
Many times the Quran starts or ends a passage about belief in the One God, with a statement about just dealings between men, always showing how faith and righteousness are inevitably linked to social interactions. The whole mission of the prophet Shuayb sent to Madyan is summed up thus
11:84"He said: O my people! Worship Allah, you have no god other than Him. And do not decrease from the measure and the scale".
This selflessness thus negates any expectations and favor in return while lending a helpful ear to any type of "asker" 74:6,93:10. This is because everyone in this world may be subject to physical, spiritual or intellectual need.
This comprehensive attitude enjoined in the Quran, along with other such directives, takes the principle of the "golden rule" to new heights and should be labelled the "diamond rule".
Slaves were an integral part of the household to such an extent that, as with other members of the biological family, women were allowed to unveil in their presence 24:31. This of course was a ruling of convenience, given the frequent interaction with the male servants going about their various assisting tasks within the household. But it further contributed to their thorough integration within the family sphere, solidifying the various rulings of consideration towards them.
They had to be fed and maintained without any psychological injury and for the sake of Allah, not seeking benefits of any kind from them in return
76:8-10"And they give food however great be their own want of it to the poor and the orphan and the captive: We only feed you for Allah's sake; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks: Surely we fear from our Lord a stern, distressful day. So God will save them from the woes of that day, and give them radiance and gladness. So God will save them from the woes of that day, and give them radiance and gladness".
What is remarkable here is that the Quran places even the need of the captive, regardless of his religion, above the need of the Muslim guardian himself. This is just one of the many passages that further dwarfs the judeo-christian notion of the golden rule.
So, even though the Quran does not pronounce an abstract concept like to “love your neighbour”, it does however articulate its reality and applications in a much more comprehensive manner, constantly interlinking worship of God with application of social justice.
In a hadith, the prophet describes how the angel Jibril admonished him for the sake of the neighbours
"Mujahid reported that a sheep was slaughtered for 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr. He asked his slave, "Have you given any to our Jewish neighbour? Have you given any to our Jewish neighbour? I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Jibril kept on recommending that I treat my neighbours well until I thought that he would order me to treat them as my heirs.'"
Reciprocity in goodwill is so hardwired into the Quranic message that even when people meet and greet oneanother, the one answering should exceed the other in his greeting
4:86"When a greeting is offered you, answer it with an even better greeting, or [at least] with its like. God keeps count of all things".
The Islamic greeting is a supplication to Allah, that He might bestow peace on another. This known etiquette, which is a Muslim peculiarity, is a means by which people’s hearts are cleansed. It brings people closer together and reinforces their ties.
In answer to the video "Muhammad's Destruction of Idols"
His tolerance, patience and forbearance were indiscriminate and touched people from all social spheres
“Do not be mere imitators, treating well only those who treat you well and doing wrong to those who do you wrong. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil”
Aisha said
"The Messenger of Allah did not take revenge for anything against himself, but if the sacred law of Allah was violated then he would take retribution for the sake of Allah".
This attitude of the prophet, his forbearance was a pattern which remained throughout his 23 years of prophethood, whether at the best or worst moments the community went through. For instance following the defeat at Uhud due to some of the troops breaking up against the prophet's orders, allured by the spoils left behind by the retreating pagan army. The victory was on the Muslim side up to that point, after which the opponents took the upper hand. Even in such situations, where the lack of discipline of some, brought death and defeat on the nascent community, the prophet did not behave as would have been expected from a field commander and nation leader. He did not judge, condemn or punish the guilty and deserters.
3:159-161"And it was by Allah’s grace that you dealt gently with your adherents, for if you had been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from you. Pardon them, then, and pray that they be forgiven. And take counsel with them in all matters of public concern; then, when you have decided upon a course of action, place your trust in Allah, for, of certainty, Allah loves those who place their trust in Him. If Allah supports you, none can ever overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who could support you thenceforth? In Allah, then, let the committed Muslims place their trust. And it is not conceivable that a prophet should deceive [in military affairs or in anything else], since he who deceives shall be faced with his deceit on the Day of Resur- rection, when every human being shall be repaid in full for whatever he has done, and none shall be wronged [by any injustice]".
Despite the unsettling situation, he remained a tranquil and friendly administrator, fully involved into improving the society he belonged to. He acknowledged the deficiencies of human nature especially in times of war. At that moment it the prophet had to have a clear mind to understand the individual circumstances that led these first-time offenders to do what they did. He had to think with his heart, not to react in proportion to the adversity that resulted from their lethal mistakes
9:128"Indeed, there has come unto you an Apostle from within yourselves: heavily weighs upon him [the thought] that you might suffer [in the life to come], full of concern for you [is he, and] full of compassion and mercy toward the committed Muslims".
That is why one only finds the kind of reports as those concerning Asma bint Marwan who wrote poems that targeted the prophet personally, among the weak and discarded narrations. As a prophet of God and ruler, he was nevertheless not one to adopt the type of passivity that would result in the merciless becoming brazen and taking advantage of any apparent weakness. From that perspective, we can begin to understand why he sanctioned the execution of some people, and tactically fought others, though he may have wished that this could have been avoided.
An example to corroborate would be that of Kaab ibn Ashraf. Following the Muslim victory of Badr, the idolators and the Jews of Medina felt that their political position was greatly diminished. Only 2 years after his migration, the Prophet of God had managed to break the traditional pattern of power distribution in the desert. The enemies of Islam would meet clandestinely and encourage the composition and recitation of divisive poetry. Kaab ibn Ashraf, a Jewish chieftain of Banu Nadhir, was a poet of considerable fame and he used to recite in the gatherings fiery poems inciting the people to rise up against Islam. This was a clear breeching of the Medina covenant of peace with the Muslims, non partisanship which eachother's enemies. ibn Ashraf's particularity as compared to the other non Muslims and hypocrites that secretly disliked Islam and conspired against it, is that he openly joined the Meccan ranks with whom the community was at war, becoming a propaganda tool that composed eulogies mourning the Meccan chiefs slain in the battle of Badr and defamed Muslim women. The closest one can come to the kind of impact this kind of poetry had in Arabian tribal life in those days, is to remember the role propaganda played during the world wars of the 20th century, more particularly the 2nd one. The chief propagandists among the Nazis were regarded as top priority targets by Western authorities. The issue here is thus not that of low-level disparaging comments and mockeries, rather the kind of criticism with deadly ramifications. The Quran and hadith contain many instances of the prophet and the Muslims being the targets of mockery and ridicule, both in times of political weakness and strength, yet neither responded in kind nor retaliated violently. The Quran for instance in sura tawba relates how the Medina hypocrites would engage in injurious talk about the prophet, and this at a time where the Muslim community had become powerful. The only response they got from the prophet was that he socially ostracized them, refusing their charity donations, and leaving their fate to Allah in the Hereafter
9:66"If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals".
He would even pray for the forgiveness of some of them, only to be rebuked by Allah for his undeserving empathy 9:80,63:6. Even so, the Quran would repeatedly call them to repent, and that God may show them mercy
33:24"That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth and punish the hypocrites if He wills or accept their repentance. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful".
As to Kaab, his animosity was such that it is said the verse 4:51 speaking of Jews believing in idols alludes to him, when he accompanied a delegation from Medina to Mecca in search of an alliance against the Muslims, and publicly bowed to the idols to reassure the suspecting Quraysh
"Your are people of Scripture and Muhammad has a Scripture and we are not completely sure that this is a scheme that you devised. So if you want us to go along with you, you have to prostrate to these two idols and believe in them".
But being a coward he never attended the battles himself, preferring to plot and incite behind closed doors. His role in galvanizing the Quraysh prior to the battle of Uhud is well known, his wife herself is reported to have warned him that his life was at threat because of his actions. Although the prophet said that Kaab was deserving of being put to death since he should be treated as a combatant, he nevertheless did not plan the execution. It is to be noted that any modern government seeking to preserve the survival of its people in times of war, would look to target specific opponents whose death would have a more significant impact in the long-run in terms of avoiding further bloodshed. He was thus incited out of his hiding place and killed, which successfully prevented an all out war with the Bani Nadir. Other opinions say his assassination occurred after the battle of Uhud in response to an attempted murder of the prophet.
The critics of Islam wont find the kind of cold blooded, arbitrary and ruthless assassinations they try hard to attribute to the prophet and even if they succeed, which they wont, then it still takes nothing away from Muhammad's claim to prophethood, judging by the standards of the true prophets of the Bible, including David who assassinated an innocent man for the sole purpose of marrying his wife and yet it did not diminish an iota from his legitimacy as a prophet.
In answer to the video "Muhammad's Destruction of Idols"
Even when he permitted the killing of Thumama b. Uthal, the chief of Banu Haneefa who had assassinated a number of the Prophet’s Companions, and had even plotted to kill the Prophet himself, yet when he was captured, not only was he given to drink from the prophet's own she-camel but after repeated invitation to Islam and repeated rejection, was eventually set free. He returned to the prophet's mosque and eventually converted, impressed like many others by the prophet and Islam's high morality. He knew he deserved the death penalty, as seen from his own answer
"If you do me a favour, you will do a favour to a grateful person. If you kill me, you will kill a person who has spilt blood. If you want wealth ask and you will get what you will demand"
yet the prophet neither was vengeful, nor wanted favors and much less money from him, despite his influential tribal position. Upon his arrival to Mecca and after an enthusiastic declaration of faith, in his zeal he implicitly answered a questioner that he had always been a Muslim
"When he reached Mecca, somebody said to him: Have you changed your religion? He said: No! I have rather embraced Islam with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)".
The prophet had to temper Thumama's overzealousness later on; when he returned to his tribe and the most influential among the people of Yamama converted after hearing his story. Thumama convinced them to halt all grain supply to the Quraysh. Such a sanction would have been highly effective in draining the Quraysh, but the noble prophet interceded on behalf of those very ones that had starved him and his early companions in a ravine, persuading the people of Yamama to resume trading with Quraysh, preferring to take the harder but nobler route to victory than the faster one at any cost
"The Messenger of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Was-Sallam) did not have to choose between two matters, but that he chose the easier of them as long as it was not a wrong action. If it was a wrong action, he was the furthest of people from it".
There are other similar instances of the prophet catching a person red handed trying to murder him, even while easily having power and right to exact revenge, but instead chose forgiveness. It was the case with Fadala b. ‘Umayr after the conquest of Mecca where he had full dominion over the people. I was also the case before, with the Bedouin man (al-Ghawrath b. al-Harith) that sneaked to him while he was asleep following a military expedition. The prophet woke up while he was about to unsheeth his sword and kill him, but calmly reasonned with him at that point and let him go free.
After unmasking the Jewess Zaynab b. al-Harith that had given him a poisonned lamb to eat, he refused to kill her and even forgave her.
On his return by night from the expedition of Tabuk and as he was riding his camel on a route passing above a ravine, a group of camel riders came fast in his direction in an attempt to scare his own camel that he might fall into the ravine. The prophet however sensed their intentions and preemptively gestured so as to scare the coming camels and signify to the men that he uncovered their plan. They consequently quickly retreated. Even though the prophet's companions identified the perpetrators, the prophet isntructed them not to denounce them because
In answer to the video "Muhammad's Destruction of Idols"
On the issue of criticism, Islam is realistic and pragmatic. One can only engage in a discussion when the opposite side wants to conduct a constructive dialogue.
There are several ways it gives to identify the sincere critic. When the critic's aim is to objectively assess the Islamic arguments, carefully listen and evaluate the Islamic position, instead of shutting his ears or pretending to listen while preparing his counter arguments, telling others to do the same, raising irrelevant objections just for the sake of discrediting, without any solid basis for argument, isolating a word or a sentence from its context, hairsplitting it so as to make it a basis of doubts and accusations, misconstruing words so as to prevent them being properly understood 4:46,40:4-5,56,41:40 then a meaningful discussion can be engaged
16:125"with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner".
The prophet's own life and ability to take on criticism is testimony to this. As well, Muslims can freely mingle with kindness and justice with any non-muslims who do not seek to fight Islam, do not opress Muslims unjustly 60:8-9.
Bukhari for example reports an incident where the prophet was disrespected in front of a large gathering. A companion felt so offended that he requested to kill the culprit. The prophet refused, just as he rejected the Muslims' desire to mutilate a captured Quraysh leader following the battle of Badr, Suhayl b. Amr, by uprooting his front teeth
“so that he could never preach against the Messenger”.
Compare this as a side note, to David's unwarranted mutilation of the Phillistines, among a long list of crimes and sins for which he never was reprimanded since in God's eyes only his adulterous behavior was considered sinful 1Kings15:5. The prophet similarily did not allow his followers to assassinate a man that had spoken in favor of uprooting the Muslim leadership shortly after the defeat of Uhud. On another occasion in Medina, Ibn Salool a known hypocrite constantly working to undermine the prophet's authority, rudely cut the prophet as he was preaching to an audience
“Stay in your home. If someone would like to hear your message, they will come to you.”
In another narration,
“Now leave, the smell of your donkey bothers us.”
The Muslims became irate upon hearing these insults, but the Prophet forbade them from retaliating. When he received Urwa b. Mas‘ud as he was still a pagan an representing the enemy side, during the negotiations for a peace treaty, he was physically and verbally abusive but despite the companions threatening him with their weapons, and the fact that some time ago Urwa's tribe, of whom he was the chief, assaulted the prophet, he honored this ambassador’s stay and hosted him for as long as he stayed. There are many other such incidents, like his eloquent answer to a group of Jews' playing on words and saluting him, inside his home, with
"As-Sâmu ‘alayk (Death be upon you)”.
The prophet was at that point in a position of authority in Medina, meaning that just as in our days where verbally assaulting authority figures makes one liable to prosecution, he would surely have been justified in exercizing his judicial authority. He instead answered
“And upon you”.
When Aisha felt compelled to add,
“Death be upon you, along with the curse of Allah and His wrath!”
The prophet admonished her against being vulgar and instead answer this kind of talk gently. It is this same gentleness that made a leading Jewish figure convert. Zayd b. Su‘na was astonished at the prophet's response to his public disrespect, under the false pretext that he had failed paying his debt as agreed. Not only did the prophet hold back his companions from doing any harm to Zayd but added
"O ‘Umar, we do not need this…Go with him, pay off his loan, and give him twenty additional sâ‘ (32 kg) of dates because you frightened him.”
It was that response that convinced Zayd b. Su‘na to embrace Islam. That incident is similar to when a Bedouin to whom the prophet owed a camel was repaid with a better one although he demanded it in an uncivil manner that vexed the Companions. They were again, as in the previous examples about to hurt him before the prophet prevented them. That attitude extended to occasions when even his family members were slandered, such as when a Muslim believed and spread the false rumours of adultery on Aisha's part. Not only did the Prophet ultimately forgive this man who had slandered his wife, but he even admonished Abu Bakr, Aisha's father from boycotting this man, especially since he was related to Abu Bakr and used to receive charity from him.
More astounding is the pardoning of Habbar ibn Al-Aswad who had once caused his daughter Zaynab to fall from her ride as he was pursuing her, inflicted her with injuries that eventually led to her death several years later. All such instances are in conformity with God's injunction to
41:34"repel evil with what is best"
so that eventually one who is viewed as an enemy might become
"as though he was a devoted friend".
Besides his reported prayers even for Abu Jahl's sake at a time when he was among his staunchest opponent, his supplications for Abu Huraira's pagan mother who used to insult the prophet even when the prophet had full power in Medina, on one occasion, the Prophet silently smiled when Abu Bakr refrained from responding to a rude and insulting person. But when Abu Bakr eventually spoke up, the Prophet became angry and left, later telling him that
“An angel was with you, responding on your behalf. But when you said back to him some of what he said, a devil arrived, and it is not for me to sit with devils".
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
Sure there is talk in the apocrypha about demons getting choked and tapping out. But we find such things in the HB itself and the famous story of Jacob's night long "wrestling" with an angel Hos12:4-5. Esau, who had been deceived, with God's approval, by his younger brother Jacob would eventualy reconcile and then like with Ishmael and Isaac, would both attend their father's burrial Gen33:4,35:28-29. Prior to this reconciliation, occurs the strange incident of Jacob's night long "wrestling" with this angel. Jewish oral tradition asserts this angel was Samael, Esau's guardian angel who was against Jacob's blessing (Bereshit Rabba 77 as well as Rashi and the Zohar).
The encounter was not conversational but a real clash of titans, a contest so brutal that it says in the Talmud they were casting up dust all the way up to the divine throne! The celestial entity couldnt overpower Jacob no matter what. They went on for hours like this until daybreak where the angel was able to dislocate Jacob's hip through a stealthy technique consisting of a light touch Gen32:26. But Jacob was apparently so resilient, or maybe this angel so feeble, that he was still grasping the angel with a grip so firm that to extricate himself, the angel eventually gave in to Jacob's demands. The defeated and submitted angel, in some interpretations it is God Himself in the form of an angel or human shape, acknowledged Jacob's stolen rights over Esau, even blessing him and changing his name. This is because Jacob implies deception. The rabbinic tradition states
"it shall no longer be said that the blessings came to you through trickery and deceit, but with nobility and openness, and ultimately, the Holy One, blessed be He, will reveal Himself to you in Beth-el and change your name, and there He will bless you, and I will be there.“ He then acknowledged them (the blessings) as being his (Jacob’s)".
The "nobility" of Jacob was not in humbly admitting to deceit, repenting and restituting others' rights but instead in succesfully wrestling a celestial entity wanting to punish him
Gen32:29"Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with [an angel of] God and with men, and you have prevailed".
Years after the deception, Jacob wondered whether Esau still held a grudge against him. Upon finding that he did, he prepared for war all the while still sending gifts to appease his brother. It never crossed Jacob's mind to return his brother's stolen rights.
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
Contrary to what this youtuber is trying to make a mountain of, there is nothing in the apocrypha resembling the meaningful intricacies of that Quranic subject.
Only the steadfast, those capable of "sabr", come out in better spiritual condition from the "fitna" the hard trials of this world. The Quran pictures these life trials as passing through a metaphysical fire of refinement. Those that fail will not be spared the pain of going through that process of refinement. If they reach the afterlife in an "unrefined" condition, they will need to test their steadfastness through the trial of the physical fire of hell 41:24. The manner in which we responded to these tests will be found wide open before us on Judgement Day leaving man with no excuse regarding what he "would have done".
God knows who will pass or fail his tests, however if He decided not to make mankind go through these tests and only reward or chastise according to His knowledge, people might easily object. But with the tests, God can present the result for the people for them to convict themselves
"Read your book; your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day".
The tests therefore serve us as our own evidence testifying to our worldly deeds, on Judgement Day 99:6,78:40,16:92. These angelic records are not required for Allah, aptly described by the prophet Jacob as
12:64"the best at keeping".
He is the One who knows best the true nature of every person's deeds 84:23. He alone has access to the intentions behind every deed while the recording angels only know
82:10"ma tafAAalun/what you do in concrete".
Notice here the Quran's eloquence and surgical use of words. There is a reason why the Quran describes the coming of a day where certain deeds will be turned to ashes, and this is because the outward alone is not the only qualifying criteria for a deed in the Hereafter, it must be coupled with correct intention and faith, something only known to God. In sura jinn, the Quran denies that any entity in the heavens and the earth, angelic, jinn, or even prophetic, has any independent knowledge of the unseen beyond what God allows it to have. And when God shares part of that knowledge, He makes sure it reaches its intended purpose
72:26-8"[He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone. Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before each messenger and behind him observers. That he may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord; and He has encompassed whatever is with them and has enumerated all things in number".
The image painted here is intricate and comprehensive, from the perspective of divine knowledge and control. God alone possesses ultimate knowledge, nobody has access to it unless He selects them for that purpose. Once that is done the messenger is monitored by surrounding entities that make sure nothing interferes with his mission. These entities are themselves precisely encompassed in number and knowledge by Allah. This means they arent needed by Him for that purpose rather their description creates in the audience/reader a sense of how tightly the situation is encompassed by the divine will.
Allah is the Watcher over every soul
13:33,58:7"Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are; then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection: surely Allah is Cognizant of all things".
These records are just part of an array of irrefutable arguments, facts and devices used by God in His court of justice. Just like the balance of good deeds, or the books of deeds, the witnessing entities that will be brought forth whether external or within our own selves, are only tools serving the purpose of articulating the truth of one's deeds in such a way that it will inevitably lead to self conviction. They are some of the aspects of God's perfect court of justice
5:109,4:166,6:19,10:28-29,17:13-14,21:47"And We will set up a just balance on the day of resurrection, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account"
25:58"and Sufficient is He as being aware of the faults of His servants".
These records, as well as all other forms of evidences and testimonies are meant for the humans only because, as per the requirements of justice, God does not pass His judgement solely on the basis of His knowledge of His creatures' reality, not even on the basis of their own knowledge of what they truly are 75:14, but after the evidence is presented to each person
58:6"On the day when Allah will raise them up all together, then inform them of what they did: Allah has recorded it while they have forgotten it; and Allah is a witness of all things".
The angels themselves will reply to the sinners denying any evil doings at the moment of death
16:28"surely Allah knows what you did".
It is a book of evidence which each person will read to convict himself
17:13-14"And We have made every man's actions to cling to his neck, and We will bring forth to him on the resurrection day a book which he will find wide open: Read your book, your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day".
None will be able to deny this personal book as it does not omit a single deed
18:49"what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all). And what they had done they shall find present (there); and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone".
It is a device among many others meant at establishing perfect justice. The guilty will have no choice but to confess and acknowledge his faults in light of those evidences
67:11,40:11"so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?".
As a final note, the book of deeds record the thoughts and actions of individuals as well as nations
45:28"every nation shall be called to its book: today you shall be rewarded for what you did".
This is just one of the Quranic intricacies and the manner in which it remains consistent in all of its arguments spread throughout the book over a period of 23 years. In several places the Quran states that God judges men individually, and not in groups. But this does not negate the infliction of collective suffering even because of the misdeeds of a few, and this is an objective reality. Any community, including the Muslims 8:25 is vulnerable to this. Believers of all times have been urged by their prophets to purge evil from their communities, hasten each other to good deeds and guard one another from evil, to avoid that outcome. Muslims are warned, through examples of the past, to choose very carefully their leaders because when such elite and rulers begin their mischief, they drag most of the community with them in corruption and lead it to destruction
17:16"And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction".
As happened in the past, the Almighty may punish a whole nation for the crime of a single individual if that whole nation sanctions it, directly or passively. As stated by Ezekiel in his warnings to Israel, the righteousness of the few will not deliver the guilty when the time comes Ezek14:20, although it may delay it Prov28:2. If the efforts of those few righteous remnants fall on deaf ear and that the decreed punishment is if such a scale that even the righteous cannot escape it, their reckoning will be with God, as the prophet stated
"If Allah sends punishment upon a nation then it befalls upon the whole population indiscriminately and then they will be resurrected (and judged) according to their deeds. "
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
During the isra/miraj, the prophet Muhammad was transported, according to tradition on a horse like celestial creature called Al-Buraq. Heavenly creatures transported previous prophets on otherwordly journeys 2Kings2:11, besides the mention of extraordinary celestial creatures by prophets the likes of Ezekiel. Muhammad was transported from the sacred masjid, ie Mecca, to the farthest masjid, ie Jerusalem, then back to Mecca. The event is shortly mentionned in the Quran
17:1"Glory be to Him Who made His servant to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing".
The manner and process in which this occured is not precisely stated in the verse, nor did the prophet leave any clear-cut explanation of this experience. What can be gathered is that in one night, he was made to see and experience Jerusalem, the farthest masjid in relation to Mecca at the time, and certain aspects of it, as if he was physically there. This is very similar to the prophet Ezekiel's experience, when
Ezek40:1"the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me there".
Ezekiel here refers to Babylon where he was preaching to the enslaved nation of Israelites, unto Jerusalem, where he would be shown the appearance and measurements of the new temple. This was done in a strong and compulsive way as is so often denoted throughout this book whenever Ezekiel speaks of his revelational experience. Ezekiel continues to relate the event thus
"In the visions of God He brought me to the land of Israel, and He placed me on a very lofty mountain..."
He was thus "transported" in a manner we cannot fathom, through God's vision, from one distant place to another, interracting with the physical features of the area
Ezek47:4"..and he led me through water that reached the loins.."
He spoke there with entities addressing him with terms clearly indicating his presence at that very distant site
Ezek40:4"And the man spoke to me, "Son of man, see with your eyes and with your ears hear, and set your heart to all that I am showing you, because in order to show you, you have been brought here; tell all that you see to the House of Israel".
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
The Arabic equivalents of the numbers seven, seventy, and seven hundred are all used, besides quantification, to convey the idea of a very large number in Classical Arabic. The same is the case in other semitic languages, such as Hebrew, as seen even in the Jewish scriptures Prov24:16,26:25etc. It was used in common talk, as in a report attributed to the prophet in which he condemns gluttony by metaphorically speaking of it as eating with seven intestines. There are several examples in the Quran as seen in 9:80,31:27,18:109 or when the Quran speaks of there existing seven earths 65:12. This by the way points to the existance of lifeforms elsewhere in the universe
42:29"And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has spread forth in both of them of living beings; and when He pleases He is all-powerful to gather them together".
In 10:66 the entities spread through the heavens are described with the pronoun "man" which is only used for creatures with an intellect, as opposed to "ma" used two verses later that also covers inanimate entities.
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
Firstly, the daily Jewish ritual prayers whether in the HB fully endorsed and practiced by Jesus and his followers after him, or in today's practice, face a particular direction and are performed at a particular time. Among the examples are 1kings8,Ps5:8,138:2,55:18,1Chr23:30,Dan6:10,Acts3:1,10:9.
Prayers are 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.
That is why Ibrahim demanded God to make him and his offspring keep up prayer 14:40, and keep him on the straight path
6:72,92,1:6,4:103"remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure (from danger) keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers".
This immemorial 19:31,55,20:11-6,21:73 (Bible Dan6:10,Ps55:18,Acts3:1,10:9,Matt6) and timed ordinance that the generations subsequent to the prophets neglected 19:59, of turning oneself to the Creator and Sustainer 38:30,44 solemnly applying one's mind, spirit and body to being in the presence of Allah in total and exclusive devotion 6:162-3,73:8 is done with great joy by the obedient and true believer who does not see it as a heavy task 2:45.
As he accomplishes the first introductory step of purifying his physical self through the ablutions, symbolizing his mental preparedness, he performs it in due time as a demonstration of one's dedication 107:4-5, persistent, consistent and watchful in terms of quality (as denoted with "aala") in the way it is performed 70:22-3, maintaining in mind the remembrance of Allah which is the goal of the ritual, not simply the repetition of gestures and words 20:14, mindful of its contents 4:43 since the ritual is for our own benefit as many times stated throughout the Quran, whether alone or in congregation, with dignity (both mental and physical), humbleness and discretion, in fear, hope, and love of God with a quiet and moderate voice for whether it is uttered loudly or kept within our deepest selves nothing is hidden from Him, without any pride and in total humility at the prospect of addressing the Lord of the universe 7:31,55,56,205,206,17:110,20:7,21:90,23:2,36:11,62:9,67:12. All these qualities are adjoined to the act of prayer as a recipe for success in both this life and the next because prayer in itself becomes meaningless if devoid of spiritual depth and humble intent
23:1-2"Successful indeed are the believers, Who are humble in their prayers.."
A hypocritical, shallow outward ceremonial is a detestable thing to God
"We visited Anas ibn Malik after dhuhr and he stood up and prayed asr. When he had finished his prayer, we mentioned doing prayers early in their time, or he mentioned it, and he said that he had heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, the prayer of the hypocrites, the prayer of the hypocrites, the prayer of the hypocrites is that one of them sits until the sun becomes yellow and is between the horns of Shaytan, or on the horn of Shaytan, and then gets up and rattles off four rakas, hardly remembering Allah in them at all".
That is also why some jurists argued that a seemingly valid prayer, whose outward form is correct, can nevertheless be deemed invalid.
The HB equally admonishes against the soulless ceremonial during rituals
Prov28:9"He who turns his ear away from hearing the Law-even his prayer is an abomination".
Similarly when Jesus in the NT Matt6 denounces certain prayer rituals, he is pointing to their vanity in contents, when they are false in spirit and directed to false deities then they are vain no matter how many times they are repeated, as in the case of the prayers of the pagans.
On the other hand, even if the contents are true in spirit, but the person reciting them is a hypocrite, doing so just to be seen by men and not acting upon the words he utters, then the prayer becomes meaningless, no matter how many times it is repeated, as was the case of certain Pharisees. Jesus then instructs on the mental manner (in submission to God's will Matt6:10) and contents of a meaningful prayer ritual. He doesnt deny its application with steadfastness and constancy if done with the correct mindframe. If done hypocritically, even that very prayer becomes as meaningless as the prayer of the Pharisees. Neither does Jesus deny the repetition of any other prayer ritual when done with true form, contents and intention as alluded to in Lk18:7. He did so himself when he desperately and repeatedly cried to his Lord Matt26:42-44. Groups of angels are depicted whether in the HB or the Quran, as unceasingly praying in Heaven Isa6:1-3,Rev4:8,Quran37:3,40:7-9,42:5. The HB contains many repetitive passages, as in Ps136, which any believer may recite during prayers.
As to the form of the prayer, it comes in answer to man's natural urge to express his feelings outwardly. When his emotions, in this case spiritual, are released he finds himself fulfilled and satisfied. This action brings balance in man's dual nature, physical and spiritual. Expressing that emotion abstractly, keeping it to one's mind and meditation, is not enough to satisfy the requirements of religious worship. Nothing compares to involving both aspects of one's being during worship, with the senses, a coordinated movement of the body, and position, direction, dress, and recitation of set text, etc.
Prophets of all times, as seen from both the HB/NT bowed and put their forehead to the ground as the utmost sign of humility to God
23:1-2"Successful indeed are the believers, Who are humble in their prayers..."
There is a tradition that says when the Prophet was standing to perform the prayers, he would occasionally look up to the heavens, but when this verse was revealed, he began looking downwards from that time onwards and never raised his head while at prayer. The ritual prayers reflect the servant's humility through a combination of words and gestures.
The words Muslims recite in each position are highly meaningful and appropriate, for example in the state of sajda/prostration, the lowest one can put his most honorable body part, we acknowledge that God is the highest, most exalted. In the state of ruku', the weakest position in which the slightest push can throw one out of balance, like the bending of a runner crossing the line at the height of his exhaustion, we recognize God's infinite power (al athim). The alternation in tone of voice suggests God's Exaltedness when the pitch is higher, or His attribute of closeness, closer than the jugular vein 50:16 when the pitch of voice is lower.
The consecutive movements of salaat illustrate a progressive humility and submission to the Creator. According to the wise Ali ibn Abu Talib, the cousin and son in law of Muhammad through marriage with his daughter Fatima, each couple of sajda, starting with the forelock on the ground, then up, back to the ground, then up, then standing symbolize respectively; the soil from which we started, then fully grown, then back to the soil at death, then resurrected, then standing for judgement. Besides being meaningful in and of themselves, the etiquettes of prayer, from the pre-prayer purifying rituals, the prescribed timings, body positions or words of worship, all are meant to instill the manner of having a proper conversation with the supreme Being, just as one would learn the manners to prepare, present oneself and address an eminent worldly personality
"This prayer of ours is not the place for ordinary human speech, rather it is glorification and magnification of Allah, and reciting Qur’an".
God is not in need of this worship, we do, so He recommends it for the good it brings and the spiritual growth it causes
25:77,20:132"And enjoin prayer on thy people, and steadily adhere to it. We ask not of thee a sustenance. We provide for thee. And the (good) end is for guarding against evil".
Many times when giving sharia directives, the discourse is interrupted with a reminder of the importance of guarding the prayers 2:238-9. In other instances when speaking of the importance of upholding certain moral virtues like the trusts, oaths and promises, the discourse begins and ends with a stress on diligent observance of the prayer 70:23-34. It is as if the prayer is like a boundary wall which encircles and protects everything within it. No other directive in Islam occupies as much significance as the prayer. Like a sentinel it guards both a person’s religious concepts and his deeds. A person who is indifferent to the prayer is as if he is indifferent to religion as a whole. Beyond the timed obligatory prayers, and for their own good
20:130"that you may be well pleased"
the believers are recommended to stand up for prayers in parts of the night, not forcing themselves, not exaggerating so as to compromise their daily obligations and activities, but just as they can bear 73:20, and if they can remain in contemplation until the later part of the night they may do so 17:79,76:25-26. The night certainly is a time most suited for the concentration of mind and for communion with God
73:6"Surely the rising by night is the firmest way to tread and the best corrective of speech. Surely you have in the day time a long occupation" 17:79"And in the night, pray humbly with it (the Quran), an addition for you, maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory".
In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"
Divine inspiration transmitted to an individual by an angel is not something unique to Muhammad. Although the Tanakh (like the Quran) recognizes that every prophet receives the ruh/ruach that allows divine inspiration, it is mostly silent on whom the carrier of that inspiration is, except in Daniel's case whose visions, prophetic dreams and inspiration were brought by a third party, who was none other than the angel Gabriel/Jibreel Dan7:15,8:16,9:21. The fact that Gabriel is referred to as "a man" is due to his appearance in the form of a man in Daniel's vision. Gabriel, along with another angel, would later appear to Daniel while awake, but still in the shape of a man. He was sent to Daniel to reveal to him the meaning of a frightening vision he had. Again in
Dan9:21"While I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the vision at first, approached me in swift flight about the time of the evening offering".
Gabriel proceeded by transmitting divine revelation upon Daniel.
Moses himself is described as receiving his ever first communication with God through an angel Ex3:2. Other prophets received revelation through angels. In dreams, Jacob was regularily visited by angelic messengers Gen31:11. Same for Elisha 2Kings1:3 or Zechariah's angelic visions later on throughout the book attributed to him. We also read that the spirit of God descending on an individual is always a pre-condition for prophethood. Even a regular person receiving the spirit of God automatically becomes a prophet Numb11:16-30. In fact we read that when God intends to speak with a prophet, He does so through an angel Numb22:20,35 and it was enough for the prophet Iddo to be convinced of the truthfulness of a man claiming to be a prophet when the latter said he received revelation through an angel 1Kings13:18. When the prophets David and Solomon were visited in dreams by "the Lord", it obviously doesnt mean God physically appeared to them. God visiting these men means He made His will known to them through some means, like the angels 1Kings3:5. Not in one instance is there any prophet who was in this way "visited by the Lord" ever speaking of having literally seen the divine essence. Prophetic revelation through angels, and more particularily through Gabriel, was therefore an already well established knowledge at least among the people of the book before the beginning of Muhammad's mission.
The prophet himself claimed very early on in Mecca as seen from the above verses, that it was an angel who was carrying down revelation to him, not directly through God. The non-believing Arabs, who also believed in the existence of angels but had corrupted it by calling them God's daughters, echoed that claim by challenging him to show those angels of revelation 15:6-7. The Quran would reply to this demand and other similar ones that firstly angels, when they enter the physical realm, only appear in human form and that second, should they ever be sent as per the request of a disbelieving people, then the punishment would immidiately follow.
