In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
The passage from that sura which this youtuber is refering to, isnt addressing all people, righteous and unrighteous alike. More specifically it speaks of the misleaders and those that blindly follow them. And it is not true at all that all people will experience suffering on the resurrection or in the world of the grave/the barzakh.
The passage he alludes to starts with 19:68 where the blind followers and their leaders are gathered.
Only those arriving to the resurrection burdened with disbelief and so many sins they havent repented for, they will be the only ones gathered for a terrible task 25:26,54:6 as opposed to the righteous believers who in their lifetime stood in awe of such day
76:7-11"Therefore Allah will guard them from the evil of that day and cause them to meet with ease and happiness".
Consequently they, whether male or female, will never be abased or disgraced between their earthly death and final entry to heaven. Instead, once resurrected they will be shining with a light emanating from them and guiding them on the path to paradise while the rest of the world is plunged in darkness 3:194-5,57:12,66:8. They will in addition be receiving Allah's love 19:96, His individual care 76:11, they will be safe from harm 41:40 and raised in a happy state 56:8,76:11,88:8. Their faces will be bright 3:107,75:22 looking forward to Allah's promise 50:32,28:61. They wont have any grief or fear of the supreme awesomeness of that day, as they will be protected from its upheaval and afflictions, welcomed and greeted by the angels before the beginning of their judgement 2:277,16:32,21:103. They will be removed far away from hearing the faintest sound of hell 2:17,26:90,21:98-103.
The fire of hell will only be brought before the disbelievers and unrepented sinners 18:99-101, the only ones experiencing this mighty day as a great difficulty 74:8-10. This group of believers from among the Muslims and the righteous who will be safeguarded from any difficulty on that Day, does not include the criminals among the Muslims themselves whom the Quran says will enter hell and/or experience a difficult judgement. Those who rejected or disregarded most or all of the directives of the Quran when it was communicated to them (Muslims and non-Muslims alike) and who transgressed willingly and rebelliously, then despite their good actions, their measurements on the scales of deeds, on the day they are raised for judgement, these measurements will be light
23:102-103"Then as for him whose scales/mawazin are heavy, these are the successful. And as for him whose scales are light, these are they who shall have lost their souls, abiding in hell".
The Quran also clearly says that among the Muslims themselves there are different grades in God's eyes 35:32-5 and although all will eventually enter heaven, this entry will be granted differently from person to person following a personalized appropriate trial, going from short and easy to lengthy and difficult. Some will even have to pass through Hell as long as Allah deems fit before being granted entry in heaven 6:128,11:106-108 and the Quran has mentionned several crimes such as murder, corruption of inheritance, abusing the weak people's wealth or charity etc whose perpetrators will go to hell regardless of their faith. It is in such context that the following prophetic saying is understood
"Gabriel, upon him be peace, came to me with the good news that anyone from my nation who dies without associating partners with Allah will enter Paradise. I said, “Even if he commits adultery and theft?” The Prophet said: Even if he commits adultery and theft".
Elsewhere
"People among those who worshiped Allah alone (ahl al-tawh?i¯d) will be punished in the Hellfire until they are coals. Then the mercy of Allah will reach them and they will be taken out and presented at the gates of Paradise. The people of Paradise will pour water over them and they will grow just as the stubble carried by the stream grows, then they will enter Paradise".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
As already seen, some people, including Muslims, will have to undergo a cleansing process to be purged of their sins before they are allowed entry to heaven. Among the cleansing processes, there is the bridge over hell, which every single human being will be made to pass through, in a manner that will more or less affect them in direct relation with their deserved retribution.
This bridge which all people are obligated to pass through can also be seen as the mirror reflection of the path we all are obligated to tread in the world and its surrounding spiritual obstacles. The better one is trained to pass the obstacles along the road in this life, the faster he will pass through the hurdles of the bridge.
There is a reason why the straight spiritual path is called by God, with the same word as that used for the bridge "siraatul mustaqim". So some will go through the bridge without stumbling on any of its obstacles while others will stumble, fall, be injured along the way, with each difficulty, fear and pain contributing to cleansing the person from his sins.
As they have gone through the required, personal cleansing process, what will be left, now that the scales of justice have been perfectly made clear and all accountabilities and responsibilities established, to fully complete their cleansing will be the mutual confrontation of those connected in wordly misdeeds, which is a natural demand of justice. Part of the just retribution of a criminal is to be made to confront his victim in full light of the truth. This is because there are certain divine laws whose transgression cause harm on several levels requiring different measures to be remedied. The first level of harm is the one done to one's own self. It necessitates to be remedied through a painful cleansing process, such as passing through the bridge as described earlier. There is then the harm to one's relation with God. This necessitates for Him to forgive in order to repair the damaged connection. The last level of damage is the sin that harms one's relation with other humans. The victims will be vindicated as they are given the chance at expressing their own harm to the one that caused it. They will then forgive so that the connection is repaired. Although emotional damage can be healed to a certain extent between humans, the fact is that scars, big or small, conscious or not, always remain no matter the sincere efforts on both sides.
That is why the Rahman, the Supreme Merciful will at last come between the parties and
15:47"will remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, [so they will be] brothers".
All will then be granted the necessary divine forgiveness prior to entering paradise.
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
God not only accepts but also loves the sincerely repenting and reforming sinner 11:90. All those reforming themselves are eligible to forgiveness. Those who sin out of ignorance
16:119,17:25"Your Lord knows best what is in your minds; if you are good, then He is surely Forgiving to those who turn (to Him) frequently".
Or even the unjust, the traitor or hypocrite striving for the corruption of Islam from within 9:74,33:24 the mocker of God's revelation who does not really know the portent of his words 9:66, the misleaders concealers of the truth 2:159-160 the criminals even the opressors striving to destroy Islam but are in fact destroying their own souls. All of them are encompassed by God's merciful forgiveness once they turn to Him with resolve, and reform their ways
4:110,5:33-38,8:38-39,27:11,11:61"therefore ask forgiveness of Him, then turn to Him; surely my Lord is Nigh, Answering".
With the correct attitude, forgiveness comes without delay as demonstrated with the first ever human to have turned to God with a sincere heart and thus was immidiately shown the way to forgiveness and effectively forgiven (as denoted with "fa" 2:37). The attitude of seeking sincere repentence is of itself proof of moral awareness because people who do not have moral courage do not confess or condemn themselves even after their sins are revealed. They fear that if they confess once, they will lose their credibility forever. This weakness of theirs ties them up with sins and while speaking of such people the Quran says it is their pride, resilience in sin despite their awareness of it, that has taken them and driven them away from the right path 2:206,63:5.
All prophets, as reflected in the HB or the Quran, called their people to repentence, assuring them that God's loving mercy is within anyone's reach. After warning the Midianites of the consequences of their sins, the prophet Shuayb would urge them to
11:90"ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him; surely my Lord is Merciful, Loving-kind".
The prophet Muhammad is similarily told to
15:49"Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful".
The prophet in this Quran is in addition told to explain that God not only forgives the sins but also provides a covering of protection from future sins
40:55"and ask protection/ghafr for your fault and sing the praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning".
God is depicted as One who
14:10"invites you to forgive you your faults".
This is because He is
40:3"The Forgiver of the faults and the Acceptor of repentance".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
God is described with the word "ghafur", steming from Gh-F-R meaning covering something either to protect and/or to hide. The implication is that God provides a covering upon the person to hide the sins of the past in case there were any 5:65 all the while providing a protection from the potential sins of the future. It is up to the believer to maintain that covering of protection throughout his life, elsewhere referred to as the garment of God-consciousness. If he loses it, he is again exposed to moral and spiritual failure. His past sins will remain hidden/forgiven but the future ones will have to be rectified
14:10"He calls you to forgive for you OF your sins".
This, as a side note, strikes at the notion of guaranteed salvation and forgiveness from sins -past and future- which is propounded by certain belief systems and more particularily Christianity.
The believers and prophets have always asked God to provide them with ghafr, the covering that hides and/or protects. It comes with merit as often repeated in the HB Ps23:1,85:3 but its implications far surpass in value the level of merit needed to obtain it. This merit however isnt placed at an unreachable standard. It only requires sincerity and resolve for reform.
That is why this grace from God is said to be at anyone's door, and to receive it, the effort demanded is minimal while its consequences disproportionately high
7:156"My mercy encompasses all things; so I will ordain it (specially) for those who guard (against evil) and pay the poor-rate, and those who believe in Our communications".
It is contingent on righteousness, repentance, restitution of the moral or physical harm, firm resolve in changing one's course during the appointed time of respite and walking aright
3:135,16:61,18:58,42:21,20:82"I am most Forgiving to him who repents and believes and does good, then continues to follow the right direction".
And just as it is conditional in this world, then those that did nothing to deserve it in their wordly life, did not undergo the spiritual hardships in the process as the faithful, patient in adversity did, they will not get it for free in the next life either. Since the aforementioned conditions to merit forgiveness cannot be accomplished in the afterlife, ie one cannot be faithfully penitent, show evidence of reform through actions, restitute the harm done etc, then the substitute to the fitna of this world will be the appropriate "fitna" of the hereafter. One will have to undergo a painfully cleansing process.
As Ezekiel told the sinful Israelites
Ezek33:14-16"And when I say of the wicked man, "You shall surely die," and he repents of his sin and performs justice and righteousness, And when I say of the wicked man, "You shall surely die," and he repents of his sin and performs justice and righteousness, All his sins that he sinned will not be remembered for him: he performed justice and righteousness; he will surely live".
And this is because
Ezek33:11"As I live, says the Lord God, I do not wish for the death of the wicked, but for the wicked to repent of his way so that he may live".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
Just as God's justice becomes liberal and lenient to the deserving faithful, on the other hand those who sin knowingly and persistently and die as unrepented sinners, they will be requited for every misdeed 6:120. Contrary to the former, meritorious group, they havent proved themselves worthy to receive God's gracious forgiveness and so will be bared from entering Heaven 2:174,3:77.
Because their sins were not obliterated and cleansed through forgiveness, as a pleasant reward from God, the cleansing process will have to be undergone through several stages after death. It will start in the intermediary period prior to the Resurrection, the barzakh, then during the Resurrection itself. To some this will be enough but others will need a temporary passage in hell. This cleansing process is called in the Quran "fitna", a word implying the manner by which gold is melted and purified of undesired elements. To picture how fitna works in the hereafter, one can observe how it manifests in this world through tests and hardships.
Like the fire extracts the precious metals from the ore and the torrent washes away the swelling foam of the sea 13:17, humans go through tests and hardships, a purging process that seperates truth and good from falsehood and sin. It is an inner 3:143,179 and outward process 2:143,149,3:167,18:12 offering mankind the chance of bettering, humbling themselves 23:76 and mending their ways
13:17"thus does Allah compare truth and falsehood; then as for the scum, it passes away as a worthless thing; and as for that which profits the people, it tarries in the earth; thus does Allah set forth parables".
Similar imagery is drawn in the Hebrew Bible when speaking of the process of seperation in this world, through blood and destruction, of the wicked from those willing to reform themselves, a process that sometimes causes good elements to be extracted while at other times only the waste and worthless elements remain
Jer5:29,9:6,Ezek22:18-22"The house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are copper and tin and iron and lead in the midst of a furnace; dross of silver have they become. Therefore, so said the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I gather you together into the midst of Jerusalem. And I shall gather you, and I shall blow upon you with the fire of My anger, and you will be melted in its midst. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so will you be melted in its midst, and you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury upon you".
Another depiction of that process is made in the context of an undetermined future of blissful utopia for the Jewish people. At that time, besides the Jews, only a third of world population will remain, those that accepted converting to Judaism. But they will still be made to undergo hard trials to determine their true hearts, if they have truly accepted Judaism as a religion
Zech13:8-9"..And I will bring the third in fire; and I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold.."
The same processing will be implemented on the Israelites themselves, and more particularily the priestly class which happenned to be the most spiritually degraded throughout their history
Mal3:3"And he shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall purge them as gold and as silver".
In the words of David, this process of testing every human being leads to the erasure of falsehood and establishement of truth
Ps7:10"May evil destroy the wicked, and may You establish the righteous, for the righteous God tests the hearts and the reins".
This is the fitna, the spiritual smelting process of this world. However if mankind heeds God's guidance, turns to God so as to find the inner strength and resolve for true reform, none will be made to undergo this cleansing process in the hereafter. The believers 110:3 as well as the sinners 5:74 are therefore invited to ever seek Allah's forgiveness and protection from sins because
7:153,4:106,110"whoever does evil or acts unjustly to his soul, then asks forgiveness of Allah, he shall find Allah Forgiving, Merciful".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
Forgiveness is the key that opens the Garden of heaven and such forgiveness is only for those who reach the afterlife in a state of inner awe of God as well as a repentant heart 50:31-3,57:21. Since paradise is a place of purity and cleanliness; a person tarnished by the impurities of sins, even the minutest ones, cannot enter it only after forgiveness. It is granted at different stages after death, depending on the necessary cleansing process that will be needed for each individual.
While some will receive it immidiately and therefore will not be made to experience any difficulty after death and until their entry in Paradise, others will go through the "fitna", as will be detailed a little later. Almost all verses speaking of the reward in the Hereafter of the pious, the righteous, who do their utmost to avoid sinning, first mention that will receive God's forgiveness 3:133,5:9,34:4,35:7,36:11,64:9,67:12.
God's gracious forgiveness which is granted to the meritorious in the hereafter, also shows that He isnt like a miserly master who checks his servant on trivialities but instead He overlooks the errors of His obedient, sincere servant and rewards him exponentialy
35:29-30"Surely they who recite the Book of Allah and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them secretly and openly, hope for a gain which will not perish. That He may pay them back fully their rewards and give them more out of His grace: surely He is Forgiving, Multiplier of rewards".
This is Allah's grace that manifests itself in so many ways. It is by God's grace that one enters paradise in the first place because in reality none of our deeds are as perfect and faultless so as to grant us such rewards. These rewards are only the consequence of God's mercy and grace that He overlooks the servant's weaknesses and defects so long as he commits himself to piety and avoids the great sins, reforms himself and does not dwell in a state of transgression in which he stumbled into
4:17-18,53:32"surely your Lord is liberal in forgiving".
Allah is liberal in forgiving and accepts the faithfull's services despite their imperfections, and blesses him with rewards; otherwise if He resorts to minute accountability no one can dare claim to win Paradise only on the strength of his own deeds
44:51-7"Surely those who guard (against evil) are in a secure place,..and He will save them from the punishment of the hell, a grace from your Lord; this is the great achievement".
The Quran reiterates this principle many times 52:18,27 that the reward of the Hereafter is really a divine grace due to God's mercy that He overlooks the righteous believer's small misdeeds and imperfections. Otherwise, in reality and in accordance with blind justice these misdeeds actually require a certain degree of punishement. Yet He forgives the trespasses and only considers the best of a faithful servant's wordly deeds
39:35"So that Allah will do away with the worst of what they did and give them their reward for the best of what they do".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
The prophets would urge their people to take advantage of the time in which God is mercifully allowing them to remain unbothered by their life of sins. That impunity will eventually come to an end
27:46"Why do you not ask forgiveness of Allah so that you may be dealt with mercifully?".
These people's convenient repentence will not be accepted. Repentance must therefore be done before the unseen is unveiled 6:158 or one is overwhelmed by death 39:54-55,4:18. When the time of death comes, when the realities of the Unseen start appearing, and when one comes face to face with the result of his deeds in the hereafter, this type of opportunistic belief and repentence wont benefit anyone since it will not have the merit of steming from spritiual awareness, something that only can be asserted in this world when faced with trials as opposed to the hereafter where trials end
35:35 40:84-85,32:12,6:158"its faith shall not profit a soul which did not believe before, or earn good through its faith".
One should therefore seize this unique opportunity of spiritual success, and God is holding in place the order of the universe so that we are able to turn to Him before the ushering of a world where penitence is rejected 16:84, mercifully preventing the universal cataclysms of the Resurrection
35:41"Surely Allah upholds the heavens and the earth lest they come to naught; and if they should come to naught, there Is none who can uphold them after Him; surely He is the Forbearing, the Forgiving".
God's forgiveness is thus something only the worthy one earns in this very life
3:135"And those who when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their faults-- and who forgives the faults but Allah, and (who) do not knowingly persist in what they have done".
The Quran thus explains that repentence implies an actual change in the course of one's life
27:10"..surely the messengers shall not fear in My presence. Neither he who has been unjust, then he does good instead after evil"
6:54"your Lord has ordained mercy on Himself, (so) that if any one of you does evil in ignorance, then turns after that and acts aright, then He is Forgiving, Merciful".
There must be an actual change of mind and concrete change in course. This entails confession of the sins to the parties who were morally/physically/materially harmed, as well as possible compensations. So a thief would have to pay back all the money they stole, a rapist would owe an apology and dowry to his victims and a murderer would necessarily confess to their crimes, putting themselves at the mercy of either the family or justice system if this has not already taken place. The slanderer would have to publicly retract in a way that reverses the initial wrong - while the sin is forgiven upon sincere repentance, the rights owed to their victim is not.
This wordly logic will equally apply in the Hereafter, even after the sinner is cleansed from his sins, then forgiven by Allah, he will still need to be confronted to the person that was harmed.
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
40:3"The Forgiver of the faults and the Acceptor of repentance, Severe to punish, Lord of bounty; there is no god but He; to Him is the eventual coming"
39:53,85:14"And He is the Forgiving, the Loving".
God is Merciful those who do not persist in their transgression, disregard and dishonor of the sanctity of religion. The capacity to repent is recognized by Allah as a deed requiring great strength and resolve. Allah in turn immidiately appreciates that deed by accepting the person in His boundles mercy. One must turn to Allah with remorse and resolve, otherwise even the plea of the noblest of men on a sinner's behalf will not lead to his forgiveness 63:5-6.
In fact Allah's mercy is such, that even when one shows the initial spark of good will, then Allah immidiately assits the person in strengthening his resolve
9:118"then He turned to them (taaba) that they might turn (liyatubu) to Him".
It is amazing to note that sin, which is synonymous with estranglement from God, does not stop God Himself from making the first step towards reconciliation with His creatures. He first turns to us mercifully, opening the gates of forgiveness, it is then up to us to walk through it. Those who follow the guidance and find strength along the way, Allah has made it obligatory for Himself to accept their repentance and purify them from their sin
2:160"these it is to whom I turn (mercifully)"
4:17"Repentance with (on) Allah is only for those who do evil in ignorance, then turn (to Allah) soon, so these it is to whom Allah turns (mercifully)".
Allah has promised His servants that He would accept the repentance of the sincere; and He does not break His promise. Muslims trust God's word and do not need Him to send His own self in human form to be humiliated and crucified so as to prove His ability to forgive. It is the connotation of every declaration where we say that a certain action is wajib (obligatory) for Allah.
An interesting observation is that 4:17 ends with
"Allah is All-knowing, Wise"
after speaking of those whose repentence will be accepted instead of the usual ending
"Allah is Forgiving, Merciful"
because only He knows what is truly the spiritual condition of a heart 29:10-11. Repentance of a truly penitent heart is thus indiscriminate, showing that there are no deadlocks in Islam and the path of return is open at all times, whether the person is a believer repenting from any sin or disobedience 40:7,9:118 or an unbeliever repenting from polytheism and disbelief.
"those who do evil in ignorance",
encompasses both Muslims and non-Muslims when they are not willfully, knowingly obstinate in their disbelief or sin, when they arent neglectful in repentence, remaining in their evil ways despite the warnings. This was Pharao's case who remained obdurate until he saw his death imminent and repented only then 4:18, or the Israelites that similarily persisted in disbelief despite the warnings of imminent destruction
Ezek8:18"My eyes will not spare, neither will I have pity, and they will call into My ears with a loud voice, but I shall not listen to them".
In answer to the video "Muhammad Was Influenced by Paganism; Paul Wasn't (PvM 11)"
Josephus in his Antiquites speaks of the Arabs as Ishmael's descendants, way before the time of Muhammad, almost 500 years, saying they circumcized their children at 13 years old, as was still done in the times of the prophet, to commemorate their forefather Ishmael.
Uri Rubin (Professor, Tel Aviv University) "The pre-Islamic Abrahamic sacredness of the Kaaba is clearly demonstrated in the belief that Abraham's footprints could be seen on one of its sacred stones. This belief is reflected in the very early verses attributed to Abii Talib in which numerous pre-Islamic places of worship are described in a manner which is totally independent of the phraseology of later Islamic sources. The verse referring to Abraham's' footprints reads "wa-mawtii Ibrahima fi l-sakhri ratbatun 'ala qadamayhi hafiyan ghayra na'ili/By Abraham's footprint in the rock still fresh / with both feet bare, without sandals". Later on, Muslim tradition applied to the stone bearing Abraham's footprints the Quranic epithet "Maqam lbrahim". Even the view that the haram, i.e., the sacred territory of Mecca, was founded by Abraham may be regarded as pre-Islamic in origin. Muhammad b. Habib (d. 245H/859), has recorded in his Munammaq a remarkable report saying that Quraysh once asked Thaqif to become their partners in the Meccan haram, in return for equal partnership of Quraysh in the territory of Wajj which was owned by Thaqif. Thaqif refused saying: "How can you be partners in a land in which our father settled, and dug it out of the rocks with his bare hands, without iron tools. And you have not founded the haram by yourselves. It was Abraham who founded it". In other words, Thaqif maintained that Quraysh had no right to make transactions with the Meccan land due to its Abrahamic sacredness. Later on, Muhammad established the haram of Medina on the model of the Abrahamic haram of Mecca".
There is a reason why virtually every non-Muslim writer that witnessed the rise of Islam, from polemicists the likes of John of Damascus that had every reason to refute Muslim claims, to Sebeos in Armenia and beyond, regardless of precise dating and authorship of the works attributed to various Judeo-Christian elite accross the region, almost all of them refer to the Abrahamic ancestry of Muhammad and the Muslims.
In a short Nestorian chronicle, the Khuzistan Chronicle written around 660, in the section concluding the death of Heraclius, the writer says
"the victory of the sons of Ishmael who overpowered and subdued these two strong empires, came from God."
The chronicler further observes
"Regarding the dome of Abraham, we have been unable to discover what it is except that, because the blessed Abraham grew rich in property and wanted to get away from the envy of the Canaanites, he chose to live in the distant and spacious parts of the desert. Since he lived in tents, he built that place for the worship of God and for the offering of sacrifices. It took its present name from what it had been, since the memory of the place was preserved with the generations of their race. Indeed, it was no new thing for the Arabs to worship there, but goes back to antiquity, to their early days, in that they show honour to the father of the head of their people. Hasor, which scripture calls "head of the kingdoms" (Joshua 11:10), belongs to the Arabs, while Medina is named after Midian, Abraham's fourth son by Qetura; it is also called Yathrib. And Dumat Jandal [belongs to them], and the territory of the Hagaraye, which is rich in water, palm trees and fortified buildings. The territory of Hatta, situated by the sea in the vicinity of the islands of Qatar, is rich in the same way; it is also thickly vegetated with various kinds of plants. The region of Mazon also resembles it; it too lies by the sea and comprises an area of more than 100 parasangs. So [belongs to them] too the territory of Yamama, in the middle of the desert, and the territory of Tawf, and the city of Hira, which was the seat of king Mundar, surnamed the "warrior;" he was sixth in the line of the lshmaelite kings".
Even among the polytheist Arabs, remnants of rites commemorating the Abrahamic legacy were maintained.
For example, though they used to sacrifice animals on various idol altars at different places, their sacrificing of animals at Mina at the time of the pilgrimage was only in pursuance of the Abrahamic tradition. It was no sacrificing for any particular idols or their idols in general.
Neither any idol nor any altar was there at Mina or Arafat.
The ritual of sa'i or running between the two hills of Safa and Marwah is among God's signs. Just like foreign idols were brought to Mecca and integrated into the Kaaba, corrupting the Abrahamic legacy, some idols were placed on these hills. We read in the history books what caused this innovation. When 2 lovers named Assaf and Naila hid inside the Kaaba to be intimate, Allah turned them to stone statues. Associating this with a miracle, the Quraysh placed them each on one of the 2 hills, and as the generations passed, took them for deities. The association of the site with paganism repulsed some early Muslims, but God told them plainly not to worry, for the Safa and Marwa are among His signs, regardless of how the sinful generations mishandled them
2:158-9"Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah...Surely those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance that We revealed after We made it clear in the Book for men, these it is whom Allah shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them (too)".
The re-institution of this location as a monotheistic pilgrimage site comes in the context of patience in adversity and trust in Allah, just as Hagar was as she frantically searched for help, running back and forth between these 2 hills, when she was settled in the location by Abraham, together with her infant child Ismail. The practice of tawaf at the Kaaba, the circlings/circumambulations symbolizes the notion that all human endeavours ought to have the idea of God and His oneness for their centre.
Although the Quran itself does not require a specific number of circumambulations 2:125,22:26 the prophet used to circle the Kaaba 7 times and sometimes more. There is nothing special about the number seven in Islamic rituals and it doesnt even appear in the daily religious practices. It is only if one focuses on a certain number(s) as is done by these 2 youtubers, who by the way are obsessive compulsive in regards to the famous 3 of their religion, that erroneous conclusions are drawn. The prophet repeated, and asked people to repeat certain things a variety of times, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or even 20, all depending on appropriateness, common sense, educational or preaching purposes, or cultural understanding of his time.
The number seven entails a vast quantity in classical Arabic. This could have been the reason the prophet told his followers to repeat certain hajj rituals 7 times. With this notion in mind, the appropriateness of that number to certain hajj rituals becomes clear. Circling 7 times means that every possible thought and deed should have God at its center. Stoning the devil 7 times implies his casting away from every possible thought and deed. That is also why we refer to him in every day speak as well as in religious contexts, as
"al shaytan alrajim/the pelted devil".
HE is pelted in thoughts and deeds through one's obedience to Allah. Pelting the stone walls during pilgrimage symbolizes this obedience to God, in contrast to disdain for the devil. With every stone that is disdainfully thrown, in contrast, a remembrance of Allah's greatness is uttered. The traditions speak of the devil appearing to Abraham as he was on his way to execute God's vision in regards to Ismail. Jibril instructed him to pelt the devil, who retreated then reappeared 3 times in total and every time Ibrahim listened to God's command to stone him. The pilgrims follow this example of Ibrahim, symbolizing their casting away of the devil by pelting 3 stone walls. Running 7 times between safa and marwa symbolizes trust in God despite the hardships of life, just as Hagar demonstrated in that same place, again, with the number 7 implying intensity of the trials of life, just as Hagar went through a difficult trial there.
As regards this number 7, what transpires from the HB Bible is that it is YHWH himself who attaches particular importance to that number, which was by the way, his day of rest following the difficult task of creating the world. In Josh6:1-8 prior to helping the Israelites with a miracle, YHWH insists that several deeds should be done 7 times precisely.
It is important noting, the Quran itself, throughout the verses laying out the hajj rituals 2:196,5:95-6,22:26-37etc doesnt link these rituals to Ibrahim, although it gives credit to Ibrahim for having initiated worship at the site and instaured the pilgrimage. This was part of the Quran's denationalization test of the Kaaba, placing it above any national pride, making its primary purpose to be a location where the one God is praised by all of humanity indiscriminately. These rituals should be done in God's name only. Every capable Muslim is bound to perform them at some point 3:97 with an upright state of mind before and during the journey 2:197.
In answer to the video "Muhammad Was Influenced by Paganism; Paul Wasn't (PvM 11)"
Allah was never an idol within the Kaaba, the Kaaba was dedicated to Him. The accumulation and piling up of idols above idols was due to the complacency and unrestrictedness that the Meccans and the custodians of the Kaaba felt as time went on. IT was their neglect regarding the status of the Kaaba and its original dedication to Allah alone. In fact their descendants would argue to the prophet Muhammad that had their innovations been harmful to the worship of Allah then Allah Himself would have prevented them and their forefathers from doing so
16:35,6:148"Those who are polytheists will say: 'Had Allah wished we would not have associated (aught with Him) nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything.' So did belie those who were before them until they tasted Our punishment. Say: 'Have you any knowledge with you to adduce for Us? You follow nothing but conjecture, and you are nothing but idle talkers'".
Of course this unreasonable, deterministic argument that ignores the monotheistic principle of accountability and freewill in religion, in addition devoid of scriptural and prophetic support, disregards that God's disapproval has and does manifest itself, either as it did in the past with the destruction of nations that indulged in the same practices as theirs, or through the sending of prophets and revelations clarifying the right and the wrong as was unfolding to their eyes
6:149-151"Then to Allah (alone) belongs the conclusive argument. Had He wished, He would have surely guided you all aright...Say: 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you from: that you do not associate anything with Him, and show kindness to your parents, and do not kill your children for poverty -We provide for you and for them - and do not approach indecencies, the outward among them and the inward ones, and do not kill the soul that Allah has forbidden save for justice. This He has enjoined you with so that you might understand. And do not approach the property of the orphan except in the best manner until he attains his maturity, and give full measure and weight with justice-- We do not impose on any soul a duty except to the extent of its ability; and when you speak, then be just though it be (against) a relative, and fulfill Allah´s covenant; this He has enjoined you with that you may be mindful; And (know) that this is My path, the right one therefore follow it, and follow not (other) ways, for they will lead you away from His way; this He has enjoined you with that you may guard (against evil)".
As to Hubal, the place from where it was brought from is uncertain, although all Muslim authorities of the past are united in that its origin is foreign. As already discussed, it was fairly common in those ancient times for ideologies and religious beliefs to be exchanged through migrations and travels, as well as economic interests. We see this in our own times with people selling their inherited traditions and beliefs, customs and values for the sake of opening up business, political or other interests. The corrupt and materialistic custodians of the Kaaba were no different.
They desired to attract as many far away people as they could, from every religious backround as possible, to the yearly pilgrimage, even puting portraits of Jesus and Mary on the Kaaba's wall according to tradition. The Arabian peninsula was known for gold, copper and silver mines even piror to Islam, which allowed Arab merchants to travel and be well-suited middle-men. Gold is present, the archaelogical evidences for mines is present and these mines are being accessed today. Serious mining began 3000 years ago. More than 1000 ancient mines were uncovered, besides those that were lost to bigger mining projects upon the same grounds. Vast reserves are still awaiting extraction. Biblical scholars even argue that the Cradle of Gold in the creation account might be located in the Mahd adh-Dhahab area of the Hijaz, between Mecca and Medina. Scholars argue this might also be the true location of the legendary mines of king Solomon, given the huge quantities of waste rock, an estimated million tons, left by the ancient miners, still containing traces of gold today.
No other ancient, regional region could have supplied Solomon as described in the Bible. The mine is even still in activity today. Scholars today argue, following the same principle of religious exchanges, and with archaelogical evidence in support, that the Egyptian deity Hathor although a central worship figure was not originally Egyptian, but a Semitic goddess who was Egyptianized. She is believed to have been imported by Semitic turquoise miners in the Sinai, who came from Canaan.
Hubal's "foreign" origin is partly the reason why he was not integrated into the "divine family" of Allah unlike the three "daughters of Allah", Allat, Manat and al-Uzza mentionned in the Quran. Thats also why Hubal never supplants Allah as the lord of the Kaaba. The cult associated with him involved divination and future forecasts. The custodian of the idol acted as the oracle. He requested blood sacrifice followed by a consultation of the divination arrows lying in front of him.
The Quran does not speak of Hubal, just as it doesnt mention the other deities of the Arab pantheon, except for al-lat, Manat and al-Uzza. These were specifically pointed because of their feminine gender, serving as an argument against the misogynistic pagans who, paradoxically, were not only worshiping females, but also gave them a status of influence alongside Allah, the supreme deity 53:19-23. Their paradoxical mysoginy lied in the fact that they worshipped goddesses and yet murdered their infants if they were females.
