In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
For example Musaylima emerged shortly after the Prophet's death and was killed under the orders of Abu Bakr. Before him and contemporaneous to the prophet was Saf Ibn Sayyad. He would eventually be completely discredited and in fact convert to Islam.
Another one was Bahaullah - though later his followers branched off into the Bahai faith which is based on the nice concept of unity of religions- he died a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire. There is also Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian, Punjab - his death is widely cited to be from either one of these diseases - cholera, diarrhoea, plague, or dysentery. Besides numerous prophecies regarding the timing and manner of his death were left unfulfilled - though Ahmadis now intrepret those in a metaphorical manner- but the manner of death is hardly inspiring for one claiming to be a Prophet.
There is then Rashad Khalifa who was a modern claimant based on his theory of the number 19's pattern in the Quran. Well, besides being accused of paedophilia, he was assassinated and his theories entirely discredited.
But above all, their theories did not prevail and either remained confined to a small number of followers or were simply lost and forgotten shortly after their death.
Another modern claimant was Joseph Smith in the US who started the Latter Day Saints movement and is the founder of Mormonism. He too was unfortunately assassinated. As a side note even the Mormon story has more grounds to stand on from the point of view of authenticity, than the NT story, in that there are actually known then-living individuals who executed an affidavit saying that they had, themselves, seen something of the Mormon story whereas the NT is written by anonymous people with no first hand information decades after the alleged, unsubstantiated life of the NT Jesus.
Of all the new religions that have sprung up after Islam, one may perhaps say Sikhism is also there. But Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, never claimed for himself Prophethood. Also, Sikhism emerged as a reform movement intertwined between Hinduism and Islam. The holy book Guru Granth contains quotes from Sufi saints as well.
One may also mention the case of Paul of Tarsus.
On the face of it, finality of Prophethood seems to be a tenuous claim. After all, potentially anyone can stand up and say that he is a Prophet of God - but so far all the instances in which this has happened has failed to even come close to the scale and scope of the Prophet Muhammad's mission.
Also, if we examine the entire career of these claimants - they have singularly and absolutely failed to match the life-chart of Prophet Muhammad and moreover their death poses even more questions than their life. What is even more interesting that none of them claimed to be the final Prophet, much less Jesus who predicted the coming of a powerful figure after him, the Paraclete, that shall bring justice to the world.
In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
The teachings that these men brought forth were beautiful in their own right, they practiced what they preached and did not allow for themselves what they were asking others to abandon, for the sake of worldly benefits
40:41-43,25:57"Say: I do not ask you aught in return except that he who will, may take the way to his Lord"
11:88"..and I do not desire that in opposition to you I should betake myself to that which I forbid you..I desire nothing but reform so far as I am able".
The character of their followers, was obviously that of people following 'the right course' 36:21. Further, the very nature of their message and their tenets were grounded in reason and agreed with basic moral human intuition. It could not on any level, conflict with human reason and spiritual instincts. These tenets they propounded, come from the Source of creation and hence should be observable within patterns in the creation itself. That is why the Quran doesnt speak of secret and hidden realities when substantiating its tenets. Rather it points to the observable and unavoidable natural occurrences and refers to them as "signs". These "signs" which have the divine stamp on them whichever way one looks at them 2:115, provided one adopts the correct spiritual mindset, are all available for the believer to seek confirmation for divine unity, resurrection and ultimate justice in all aspects of the universe's functioning, and within his own self.
There are thus 2 primary aspects for which to recognize whether what a human being is bringing, is from the divine source or not. The message has to conform in principle to what one would expect from the Source of Creation, and the messenger himself has to reflect the divine attributes in the best way from among his people.
Miracles do not and cannot be part of this equation. Besides, the process of revelation itself is a purely personal experience. The only time in human history when revelation descended on several people at once was at Sinai. The people then requested for this phenomenon to stop, fearing they would die. They begged Moses to be their sole intermediary with God and God accepted. From that time on, revelation solely became the prerogative of chosen individuals
53:12"do you then dispute with him as to what he saw?"
16:105"Only they forge falsehood who do not believe in Allah’s signs and they themselves are liars".
Deut18"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen. This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God, nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.' And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him. If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it."
The Quran thus establishes patterns by which to recognize an envoy from God. But one might come back and say that speaking the truth and being of impeccable morality doesnt necessarily mean the person is God-sent. Through the story of ancient nations and prophets, it establishes a pattern by which to determine the truthfulness of one claiming prophethood. As previously stated, these are; uprightness in character which includes an unflinching, uncompromising stance as regards his mission, to have been foretold by previous prophets, having access to special knowledge, and prophecies coming true. This includes warnings of punishment for fighting and opposing the messengers. The Quran places Muhammad inside that pattern of the prophets, at a time when none, not even the nascent Muslim community whose fear and reluctance to engage in military confrontation is related in the Quran, could have imagined for him and his small band of followers to become victorious and establish themselves 37:171-182.
Muhammad then effectively rises up and says to his tribe that they will meet a similar fate. He made the claim while in a state of weakness, and augmenting his rhetoric that should have antagonized his people against him instead of gaining him followers. As expected the people then oppose the message and prevent the people from it and get punished by the sword. End of the matter. None after him came with any of the following and was able to back his claims up:
1) comes from a common background of his addressees, meaning they know him very well, yet claims to be a Messenger, in fact the Final Messenger of God
2) warns his people of Divine chastisement
3) the chastisement comes home to roost and the partisans of the Prophet are established in the land
This is the exact process that occurred with the Bani Israil in the time of Moses, with the drowning of the host of Pharaoh and the deliverance of the Israelites, with the uprooting of the Canaanites and the establishment of the way of God. Not to mention, the Quranic invitation to the Arabs to see or recall for themselves the fate of the deniers of Nuh, Lut, Saleh, Shuayb, Hud... It is a Book of Warning that has already delivered its judgment in this world
53:36"This is a warner of the warners of old"
54:42-5"Are the unbelievers of yours better than these, or is there an exemption for you in the scriptures?...Soon shall the hosts be routed, and they shall turn (their) backs".
As said in Deuteronomy regarding the awaited prophet
"If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it".
God Almighty says that Prophethood has ended with the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet bore witness to the unity of God, and his deniers were punished in this life. For those who claimed to be Prophets after him did they remain unvanquished as per the tradition of Allah, did they emerge as triumphant leaders or does their life and death fail to bear witness to their claims?
In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
It is only after such persons, recognized for their nobility of character, start exposing the evils and falsehood of their societies that they are demeaned, rejected and fought
11:87"They said: O Shuaib! does your prayer enjoin you that we should forsake what our fathers worshipped or that we should not do what we please with regard to our property?".
And as Jesus said
Jn7:14-18"Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him".
Like the prophets of old, the prophet Muhammad never asked for any compensation or reward for the priceless mission he was undertaking 6:90, his reward being with Allah 34:47. He is told to convey his message in a manner that can never compromise the integrity, honnor, exaltedness of the revelation 80:11-16. This instruction doesnt apply to the message only, but the messenger himself who shouldnt go on beseeching the people, discrediting his own honnor in doing so.
In 2:104 believers are urged to approach the Prophet with respect and to subordinate their personal desires and expectations to the commandments of the Faith revealed through him. These instructions meant at exalting both the message and the message-bearer in the people's eyes is reflected among other places in the command to offer money prior to consulting him
58:12"when you consult the Messenger, then offer something in charity before your consultation; that is better for you and purer; but if you do not find, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful".
That money was to be given in charity, not to him personaly. What the verse also reveals is that precedence is given to the poorest elements of society in approaching and consulting with the prophet since no pre-condition is required of them, contrary to the affluent. Traditions reflect how the injunction reduced the number of requests by the richer elements. Because their objective in approaching him wasnt to seek guidance.
Like every materialistic and spiritually deprived individuals, they thought this could be another opportunity to increase their sphere of influence in society, upon a new emerging community. The way they tried to achieve their purpose was by attempting negotiations with the prophet to make him compromise some of his principles with theirs. This was normal in their mind, since to them everything could be bargained, including spiritual and moral values for the sake of material gains. But in this corrupt pursuit, they werent even prepared to step down from their apparent superiority and mingle with the prophet's followers who came from a wide variety of backgrounds, on an equal footing. The instruction to give to charity prior to consulting with him was another obstacle as it meant they valued him above their own pride, thus giving them less leverage in negotiations. This lead to less counsels and the purification of the intellectual and social milieu of the Muslim community.
It is to be kept in mind that the prophet was very often denigrated by the affluent because of his mainly poor followers. They would tell him to distance himself from them so that they could approach him
6:52"And do not drive away those who call their Lord in the morning and the evening, they desire only His favour; neither are you answerable for any reckoning of theirs, nor are they answerable for any reckoning of yours, so that you should drive them away and thus be of the unjust".
Those who rejected their prophets did so, not because of absence or presence of miracles, or whther or not they saw revelation physically descending upon them, but because of their stubbornness and attachement to a system devoid of decent moral codes, on every level; political, economical, social and spiritual. Their sinfulness was the way by which they maintained this order
28:57"And they say: If we follow the guidance with you, we shall be carried off from our country"
23:70"and most of them are averse from the truth. And should the truth follow their low desires, surely the heavens and the earth and all those who are therein would have perished".
The leaders of a community were therefore almost always at the forefront of that opposition and rejected the moral reforms brought by the prophets, as in the prophet Muhammad's time, as well as in the times of Nuh, Shuayb or Moses, fearing for their power and achievements
43:51-4,11:87" O Shuayb! does your prayer enjoin you that we should forsake what our fathers worshipped or that we should not do what we please with regard to our property?".
They saw prophets as threats to the equilibrium they had established 7:127 while their sole aim was the return of humankind to its awareness of God and the higher spiritual truths. In addition they wrongly thought that them being socially privileged, necessarily implied that they were spiritually meritorious. In their limited mindframe, they linked material achievements to being on the true spiritual path. They used this superficial observation as an argument to win the dominated classes against the prophets 43:23,34:34-5 and their humble assemblies. The implicit accusation was that prophets were liars exploiting religion to gain social and political dominance under the guise of prophethood 7:90,110,123,10:78,20:57,23:24. Taking the example of Muhammad. His trustworthiness was unanimously recognized, whether among the notables, of whom he was of the highest descent, being a Hashemite, or from the lower classes of society. He could have easily gained political authority, united the Arabs accross the region by breaking their alliances of tutelage with the neighboring powers, and expanded his power to the fertile and rich Arab lands outside the Hijaz, had he been motivated by wordly success. Using his recognized eminent character he could have just as easily gathered the poor classes, who composed the vast majority of the population, leading them to overturn the corrupt and unfair social system of which only a few notable clans and families benefited, had he been interested in social reform. Had he been interested in raising the moral standards of his people, he could have spoken against many of its practices and rallied people easier on his side against the evils of his environement, like sexual promiscuity, alcohol and gambling, infanticide and mysoginy. But Muhammad, like every prophet, against all political and practical wisdom from a purely wordly outlook, was first and foremost interested in reforming human spirituality, placing only One God as the center of power and authority in every aspect of life. Every reform had to stem from the trust that only One God rules over the affairs of the universe. This was the more difficult route as it entailed first antagonizing one's close people and society at large, before proposing all these beneficial reforms
11:88"He (Shuayb) said: ‘O My people! Bethink you’ If I be upon a clear proof from my Lord, and He has provided me with fair sustenance from Him? And I desire not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you from it. I desire naught save reform so far as I am able. My success is only with Allah. On Him do I rely and unto Him I turn".
As here stated by the prophet Shuayb who was faced with such attempts at discrediting his intentions, neither he nor any other prophet ever asked for any wordly reward in return of spiritual and moral reforms. That is why a prophet's integrity is crucial in being one among the criteria for prophethood, they had to be known as such by all people of their nation so as to effectively reject that false charge against them. Those who now became their opponents could not deny that integrity which they themselves acknowledged prior to the prophets attacking their ways of life. This means that they were speaking hypocriticaly and revealing their deep corrupt selves. They were projecting their own condition and outlook on life, upon others.
These lowly expectations they had from their fellow humans led them even to wonder as to how a completely disinterested, benevolent and spiritually upright message be sent from the Lord of creation onto a mere human who, they thought, could only be morally corrupt? Such a message should instead come to a supernatural being, above human limitations
23:33"This is nothing but a mortal like yourselves, eating of what you eat from and drinking of what you drink".
Such a messenger could not conform to the banal normality of a family man 13:38. At the very least, that message bearer should be from among the socially dominant, because if human morality doesnt merit to communicate with the divine, then an individual should be eligible through his social status which in their limited view represented divine approval 43:31. In addition, such a person should support his credibility by bending the natural laws whenever they demanded it, performing miracles according to their whims, transforming a mountain into a pile of gold, or answer any question relating to the unseen that might come up
6:50"Say: I do not say to you, I have with me the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel; I do not follow aught save that which is revealed to me".
The prophet is told to answer that he is only following, like them, what has been revealed to him. The difference between him and them is that the prophet is a first hand witness while his opponents do not have any real certainty
"Say: Are the blind and the seeing one alike? Do you not then reflect?"
Of the unseen, no human has unlimitied access. The possessor of than supreme knowledge is God only, granting a glimpse of it to whomever He deems fit 72:26-7.
That is why they were rejecting the calls to reform and discrediting the Messengers, many times all the while having the inner sentiment that it is the Truth. Pharao and the Egyptian notables, continued in their rejection of Moses' calls until their last breath, all the while knowing that the signs could only be coming from God
Exodus8-10,Quran7:134,27:14"And they denied them unjustly and proudly while their soul had been convinced of them; consider, then how was the end of the mischief-makers".
This shows that miracles or not, the issue to the obdurate and senseless rejecters was never about a prophet's truthfulness but rather about the message itself. The HB in Deut13 warns the people to be very suspicious of anyone with the ability to perform what may seem as unexplainable supernatural deeds. The NT similarily says false prophets may be allowed the performence of miracles as a matter of test to the believers Matt24:4-5,23-25,2Thess2:9-10. John the Baptist was a true prophet but performed no supernatural miracles Jn10:41,Matt21:25-26.
Besides, to base one's faith on the sight of "miracles" is very dangerous for one never really knows whether the "miracle" was in fact an illusion or other clever trick. The prophet Moses' opponents reflected that reality when they described his miracles as illusion without external reality
7:132"And they said; whatever sign you bring us to bewitch us, we are not going to believe you".
As the HB says, God may even purposefully allow a false prophet to perform miracles as a test to the people, whether their hearts and minds will be dazzled and swayed into ungodly ways or remain steadfast in their faith. In Ex7:11 Pharaoh commands his court magicians to imitate with their magic Moses' miracles, and some of these miracles were in fact successfuly replicated, showing that seemingly supernatural occurences do not necessarily come from God. Miracles therefore, whether in the Quran or the HB, do not serve the function of attesting to an individual claim to prophethood, rather have the twofold purpose of comforting an already believing heart as well as demonstrate the tremendous responsibilities of those that witness it. That is why the Quran uses examples of past nations that requested miracles and disbelieved thereafter, as a lesson to the prophet's contemporaries who were doing the same. Had the signs been sent down as and when they requested, their current state of opposition was such that they were would have found any excuse to deny and denigrate them, and would have increased their enmity towards the message bearer and his message. Just as those before them, who were then destroyed although they were much more powerful than them. Pharaoh and his people are among those examples.
The Bible doesnt even give instructions on how to recognize demonic miracles because technically, they are no different than the divine ones. But it shows how to recognize if the author is a false messenger. The djinn, as described in the story of the prophet Solomon, are capable of what is deemed supernatural bending of the expected laws of nature. But what they have no access to, except as Allah deems fit, is knowledge of the unseen, information that could only be obtained through revelation. Knowledge of the unseen, and of information that could not have been accessible to the messenger, prophecies coming true, uprightness of character are all very strong indications of a person's claims of prophethood. That is why the Quran, although it never denies that its messenger could and did perform miracles, treats this aspect of prophethood as inconsequential in determining the veracity of the claim, dismissing the requests of the doubters and disbelievers and leaving the matter to the Creator. The sending of signs is at all times depending in His will and wisdom. The Quran therefore, in its arguments, brings repeated attention the aforementioned 4 aspects of prophethood, with an additional focus on knowledge; based on what authority, and knowledge do the disbelievers among the polytheists and people of the book persist in their denial and deviations
46:4"Say, [O Muhammad], "Have you considered that which you invoke besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth; or did they have partnership in [creation of] the heavens? Bring me a scripture [revealed] before this or a [remaining] trace of knowledge, if you should be truthful."
In conclusion, messengership does not necessitate that the forces of nature be bent at will and upon request. Miracles are entirely dependent on God's will and the prophets are nothing but mere mortals tasked with transmitting a message of warnings and glad tidings
17:90-3"And they say, we will by no means believe in you until you cause a fountain to gush forth..or you should cause the heavens to come down...or bring Allah and the angels face to face...or you should have a house of gold...Say; Glory be to God, am I aught but a mortal messenger?"
As one can see, miracles or not, witnessing revelation or not, uprightness of the message bearer and soundness of his message or not, prophecies coming true, all this was irrelevant to the deniers of the prophets all throughout history. To them it all boiled down to the message itself. That is why they did their utmost to 14:3,11:18-22"make it crooked". They did so through vehement denigration in front of any person showing interest in it, or by attempting to change it
41:40"Those who misconstrue Our Revelations are not in any way hidden from Us".
This way they thought they could create confusion through misinterpretations or deliberate corruption, trying to make it agree with their own evil principles. And when they could not do that, they tried corrupting the message bearers themselves, overtly asking them to compromise some of the revealed principles with theirs. This situation is amply depicted as regards to the prophet Muhammad and prophets before him as depicted in the HB. The frustration of the opponents of Truth would reach its highest as they found themselves unable to influence the minds of the people, and neither the messengers, so they would finally resort to death threats or expulsion from the land 14:13.
In 6:111,10:95-101 Allah speaks of those who continuously reject His communications, they will not believe no matter what sign is shown to them. All scriptures speak of such rejectors bent on denying revelation no matter what. In fact if they truly wanted a sign and werent instead seeking excuses for their disbelief, they would have at least considered the surrounding signs that point to the realities of which the Quran speaks of verse after verse. But the fact is these obdurate disbelievers see the Truth only when the promised divine torment in this earth or death overtakes them, just as Pharao came to believe only when he was drowning. When Jesus was challenged by the wicked Pharisees to display supernatural wonders as he did in his ministry, he answered them
Mk8:11-13"Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
Jesus categorically denied them the performence of Signs. True to his word, Jesus never appeared to those very people who demanded him a miracle after his alleged resurrection. Although as a side note he is depicted as saying elsewhere that he will indeed reappear resurrected to them Matt12:39 yet in reality he never did. In fact the risen Jesus never appears to anyone but believers. Those stubborn disbelievers demanded miracles to excuse their unbelief.
The demand of a sign in itself is not condemnable when it is motivated by a desire of assurance of an already existing, sincere belief. Even prophets requested such signs from God, seeking to know the reality, the functioning of concepts like the resurrection 2:259-60. This is because prophets often had to face the staunchest barrages of calumnies and opposition, and would thus seek personal comfort, requesting to see miracles on a private level and not to vindicate themselves publicly. However when such demand is but a challenge with the aim of comforting one's disbelief, a mere display of mockery, then God either rejects the demand through His prophets or immidiately punishes the culprits. This happened to the Jews who, after witnessing all sorts of signs and wonders in Egypt and during their journey, still demanded to see this God whom Moses claimed to have conversed with 2:55,4:153.
When some challenged similarily the prophet Muhammad, arguing that the absence of supernatural wonders is the reason of their disbelief, they are told that they instead have no real desire in them to seek the right guidance. Miracles do not conform to the whims and demands of such people, neither does Allah force belief upon anyone 10:99 much less if the person deliberately turns away from it. He lets such persons wander in their own ways 13:27.
In the NT Jesus reiterates the principle that miracles were only granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham or Gideon before (Judges6), and to grant satisfaction to those that already incline to truth. Miracles are not for those who
6:109"swear by Allah with the strongest of their oaths, that if a sign came to them they would most certainly believe in it. Say: Signs are only with Allah; and what should make you know that when it comes they will not believe?".
Thomas and Philip for example Jn14 believed and inclined to the truth but wanted satisfaction and clearing of some remaining doubts. Jesus used the miracle argument to comfort them, he is not addressing unbelievers and trying to convert them using miracles, he is addressing believers and reminding them of his miracles as a support to some specific claim. Same in Jn11:1-44. In fact we even read in Mk10:46-52,Matt9:27-30 how it is faith that actually causes Jesus' miracles to succeed. In Nazareth, Jesus was unable to do "powerful works" because he was not believed in. In Luke24 Jesus, after his crucifixion and alleged resurrection, encounters 2 men who declare their disbelief in Jesus, thinking that his mission had failed. Instead of revealing his identity which would have been a compelling evidence for them to believe, scolds them for their disbelief in scriptures which he claimed he fulfilled. His demand was to have faith in scriptures without the need to resort to supernatural evidence.
Jesus alludes to this reality again in a parable where a disbeliever put in hell requests the performence of a miracle to his people -who possess and know the scriptures- still on earth that they might believe
Lk16:19-31"If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead".
The Quran, after mentionning the various miracles of Jesus, points that these were signs for the believers 3:49. Jesus, and the few other Prophets through whom God showed miracles, werent going around town squares performing magic tricks to awe passers by, or clapping their hands to cause rainfall upon request.
Simon, Peter, James and John did not need the slightest miracle to believe in Jesus' prophethood Matt4,Jn1:35-51 but all are said to "believe" in Jesus a second time after they saw his miracles and that is because it strengthened their already existing belief Jn2:11. When Moses was sent to announce the future deliverance of the Israelites, he was strengthened with miracles and sent to the elders of the community, those grounded in knowledge, devoted to study, already inclined to the truth and knew God Ex4. They were those who would first and foremost believe Moses' words and this is because they had preserved and faithfully transmitted the knowledge, that God would eventually remember them and lead them out of Egypt into the land promised to Abraham Gen50:24-25. The sign would be that one would come to them with the words matching exactly that promise and therefore Moses was commanded to remind them of it with the same words as sufficient proof of his prophethood Ex3:15-18.
From a purely comparative viewpoint, supposing Moses or Jesus' miracles were productive and crucial in supporting their missions as well as gathering followers, which they clearly were not, as seen from how readily the Israelites strayed from the path during and after Moses, as well as the very few number of followers in Jesus' lifetime despite all the miracles he showed. The fact remains that, like every action, a miracle is only temporary in nature and can not be seen twice. It disappears and becomes history as soon as performed, leaving those that did not witness it to rely at best on those claiming to have seen it. This issue in itself isnt really problematic so long as the line of prophethood hasnt been discontinued yet, since the subsequent prophet will perform his own miracles and endorse the prophet who preceded him. And the cycle would continue.
With Muhammad, the case was different. He was the Final of the prophets. His prophethood had to be asserted through miracles different than those bestowed in support of the likes of Moses, because no action can last long enough to be seen by other generations. Nor could he rely on the endorsement of a subsequent prophet. Thus the nature of the miracle that had to serve as decisive evidence of his truthfulness had to be of a different type. It had to be lasting in order to be witnessed and tested by the future generations as well as by his contemporaries. For that purpose, nothing was more adapted to the technology of the time than a miraculous speech, recorded in writing, preserved through a divine pledge as opposed to every past scripture, so that its superiority in terms of the truth it conveys, as well as the intricate subtlety of its content be witnessed and tested at any time by any generation to come. That is why the Quran repeatedly points to itself as proof of prophethood, although nowhere is it denied that the prophet could or did perform miracles of the type of "wonder workings". The ahadith contain more details, and the Quran passingly alludes to the disbelievers witnessing such secondary signs but remained in denial 2:118,37:14-15,38:4. Among such signs was the instance where the moon was split for all to see 54:1.
In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
In order to know if one has the right approach to knowledge, one has to see whether the chosen approach is beneficial in terms of personal insight as well as insight into the surrounding world, what does this approach teach and where does it lead. What does it imply about truth, what truth is, and where truth can be found, what does it say about how to live one's every day life.
There are 3 main domains that the chosen approach must satisfactorily address; intellectually, morally, spiritually.
Intellectually; Why is the universe the way that it is and why are we able to learn and understand it? Why should man even probe the secrets of the universe.
Morally; how should life be lived and according to which virtues? In what circumstances is it better to be humble or proud, gentle or fierce, merciful or stern, patient or hasty? How does experience and the ability to overcome obstacles develop us in these virtues?
Spiritually: Why does mankind exist, more specifically why is my own life worth living? What point does my existence accomplish in the broader scheme of things?
Every single human being will eventually be confronted with these questions and will adopt some form of value system that attempts to address them. The only question to ask is whether or not the ideology to which they have committed can successfully and coherently address these dimensions of life in a manner that provides meaningful guidance.
Only Islam unifies all of life’s ethical, rational, and spiritual pursuits under the singular aim of attaining nearness to God, providing a firm foundation for true personal development in all spheres. The Quran speaks to human intuition in a way that renders reality meaningful, unravelling all of the paradoxical knots of confusion. Haqq/truth is used in the Quran to refer to what is real 10:32 but also to mean purpose 16:3 as well as rights and responsibility 30:47. Reality is therefore meaningful (makes intellectual sense) and purposeful (makes spiritual sense), and this is something that corresponds to human intuition.
The Quranic discourse helps us make sense of what’s important and what’s relevant in our lives, what to focus on to achieve true spiritual, moral and intellectual growth. It does so by appealing to the existing knowledge of the fitrah.
Those who accepted the warners sent to them, firstly did it because they were not prejudiced but focused on the message that was being preached, noticing it agreed with elementary reason, their geneticly hardwired cognition of the higher realities, and their observation of the universe. That message was in addition transmitted by men who were obviously not deceitful charlatans motivated by any worldy pursuit.
These noble messengers knew that what they were comunicating could not be bought by any ammount of riches and favors, and were among the best of people in their nation
3:161,6:50,90,109,127,145,160,180,10:72,12:104,33:21,34:47,36:21,68:4,11:51,29,62"They said: O Salih! surely you were one amongst us in whom great expectations were placed before this; do you (now) forbid us from worshipping what our fathers worshipped? And as to that which you call us to, most surely we are in disquieting doubt".
Simple observation also shows that had these men been seeking illegitimate profits under the guise of prophethood, they would be surrounded by the affluent, yet the contrary can consistently be seen with every prophet. It was in fact one of the common reproaches which the aristocrats use to issue against them and the Quran particularily depicts how the prophet Nuh and his poor assemblies were the target of such scorn 11:27-30. Again, some very elementary points can be critically and objectively analyzed to assess the truthfulness of a person claiming prophethood.
None of these points have been meticulously and comprehensively documented on a scope even remotely comparable to Muhammad: How was his life prior to the claim? What is his message? Then how did his life become after his claim? How consistent was it with the message and that of those prophets that preceded him? How much did he have to sacrifice in all aspects of life by upholding that message and what did it bring him? How did his successes and failures affect his thoughts, words and deeds? Finally what kind of fruits did his message produce in the lives of his contemporaries?
In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
By definition, belief in something is a firm state of mind that does not require the manifestation of the thing in question, but this does not mean that the belief is beyond reason.
For example it is much more unreasonable to assume that the world is the product of chance than of a purposeful design, especially when all the signs mentioned in the Quran, from those surrounding us every day and at each instant, down to those present in our own selves, do point in such a way to the inevitability of Judgement Day and of an afterlife, that it would be entirely unreasonable to think otherwise.
There is a reason why almost every such verses are accompanied by phrases explaining that these signs are for those who use their intellect, or as stated in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the truthfulness of its message
Prov8:9"They are all true to the understanding one, and straight to those who find knowledge".
Humans believe things everyday without seeing them so long as these things agree with their intellect and reason, only animals devoid of intelligence need to see to believe. For example most animals will never heed a warning until they see the threat and flee, while a human can reason and hearken the admonitions and prepare for all eventualities.
But then, even some animals are capable of mental deductions based on perception, without actually seeing. Still, reasonable belief doesnt render it factual, and neither was belief ever meant to become so, so as to not compromise the whole purpose of life, as stated in the Quran; spiritual growth using one's own innate spiritual sense of perception. Bringing the unseen to the seen makes spiritual growth impossible. In the account of creation, God describes how it was precisely that aspect of human life, the capacity to translate material perception to spiritual language, then grow spiritually is what awed the angels and made them bow to Adam in acknowledgment of his potential superiority over them.
The unseen isnt veiled from angels and are therefore compelled to accept these higher realities that are factual to them. That is why the Quran (and the HB, contrary to the Greek/New Testament) teaches that angels have no freedom of choice.
That belief in the unseen (God, angels, revelation, resurrection, hereafter) can never become factual doesnt make it unreasonable and in fact it is the disbelief in such concepts which is the weaker position from a rational perspective, for the reasons previously mentioned, including genetic. Genetically, it is man's ability to perceive the existence of a single Creator 7:172-3 referred to in 30:30 as man's hardwired uprightness at birth. Any notion that goes against that inborn awareness is therefore a corruption of man's spiritual nature. Pure monotheism, is the only intuitive system, one that can be naturally derived from observation and reflexion.
There is a reason why polytheistic societies all have one superior deity above all. This is their instinct, which can then become corrupt like any natural, beneficial predisposition. The Israelites throughout their history didnt stop believing in the supreme Yhwh even when they introduced idols in the temple itself. In fact, even subconsciously, no matter their sophistries, Trinitarians have the same thing as the aforementioned polytheists, with the "Father" whose name itself implies prominence in time, rank, importance, and who generates and begets the other 2 "persons" of the Godhead. Archaeology is not indicative of the historicity of monotheistic cults. Monotheism naturally seeks the immaterial, transcendental Creator who cannot be represented. Polytheism on the other hand is expected to leave traces in history, whether sculptures or drawings of that which is worshipped.
That is also why The Quran therefore doesnt deny but rather honors the covenants made by God with previous religious communities, each being in essence a manifestation of the pre-eternal covenant that God made with all of humanity when they were still in Adam’s loins
"And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their progeny and made them bear witness concerning themselves, “Am I not your Lord?” they said, “Yea, we bear witness”.
The covenants made on earth renew this genetic cognition of divine oneness
33:7"And [remember] when We made with the prophets their covenant, and with thee, and with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary; We made with them a solemn covenant".
The various prophets thus served the purpose of reminding, so that no human beings can claim that they were unaware of that inner, instinctive knowledge
7:172-3"Lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Truly of this we were heedless,” or lest you should say, “[It is] only that our fathers ascribed partners unto God aforetime, and we were their progeny after them. Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the falsifiers have done?”
With such understanding in mind, one can appreciate the Quranic use of the word kafir/kuffar in reference to those that reject prophetic guidance. Although often rendered simply as "disbelievers", the word literally means to "cover up". In this case, a kafir is one that covers up his innate cognition of the higher realities.
It is well known that genetically, humans are programmed to see life forces – a phenomenon called hypersensitive agency detection – everywhere we go, regardless of whether they’re there or not. Scientists say this might be an ancient defense mechanism that helped us avoid concealed danger, such as lions crouched in the grass or venomous snakes concealed in the bush, but that it also made us "vulnerable" to inferring the existence of invisible agents, such as a benevolent God. That mechanism, labelled "System 1" also encourages us to see things dualistically, meaning we have trouble thinking of the mind and body as a single unit. This tendency emerges quite early: young children, regardless of their cultural background, are inclined to believe that they have an immortal soul. For these reasons, many scholars believe that religion arose as “a byproduct of our cognitive disposition”, ie it would be cognitively unnatural to not believe, and to think of oneself in a non-dualistic way, which is why atheists (Atheism itself is a very recent phenomenon) must fight against that natural urge to believe in an existence with a purpose, that they are a part of something bigger, that life isn’t completely futile. Even those who explicitly describe themselves as non-believers, still harbor superstitious and non-rational thought processes. It is also established that inscribed in our DNA, there is a moral compass and sense of justice making us, since the youngest age, prefer good than bad actions.
It is the general guidance referred to 20:50 and instilled in all humans without exception. The Quran thus establishes that man is hardwired with a connection to its Creator. In reference to that intimate relation, the prophet said
"He who knows his soul knows his Lord".
On the other hand the Quran warns
59:19"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their own souls".
If one ponders on the Quranic argumentation for the divine, one notices that it doesnt try demonstrating God's existence, but rather corrects how humans are to perceive Him and His attributes. Throughout human history, the accepting the existence of a deity was not an issue, rather the problem lied in the inability to recognize His true attributes and the manner He interacts with creation.
Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72. A similar notion can be found in the Hebrew Bible in
Ecc12:7"The body reverts to the dust that it was before, and the ru'ah returns to God who gave it".
It is this spirit coming from Allah, infused into Adam for the first time, to inspire him the understanding of good and evil that creates the human thirst for guidance and worship
91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it".
Contrary to the convoluted HB, this peculiar human feature was not hidden in a forbidden "tree of knowledge" but hardwired in mankind, since its inception. This is the spark, when nurtured and developed, that leads one to fulfil the goal of human creation; the worship of God.
In answer to the video "Who (Really) Wrote The Quran?"
From the angle of Miracles, we see a consistent pattern; they never force belief in a person. The HB (Deut29,Numb14), NT, and Quran all corraborate this reality. Miracles are subordinate to the moral and spiritual as well as reasonable evidences in the world around and inside man for the existance of God, and the truth brought by specific individuals.
For example the clear signs spoken of in the Quran and displayed on earth do not create belief, they stimulate that already existing belief in the Unseen for the spiritually aware, the God-conscious 10:6, those who have inner certainty 10:5 but are devoid of any spiritual dimension to the spiritually blind. Miracles, in the sense of supernatural occurences, because of their temporary nature, quickly lose their lustre in the eyes of the majority of the audience of a prophet that finds itself asking each time for more, not realizing the tremendous responsibility that goes with such a request.
The history of past nations and prophets, more particularily the Israelites, testifies to this reality. The Quran ushered an era of spiritual awakening through reasoning and observation, making the ones with insight capable of deriving the miraculous and divine presence in all things, regardless of time and space
2:118"Indeed We have made the communications clear for a people who are sure".
Only those people can reach the right conclusion from their observation, who are inclined to believe; as for the heedless people, who live like animals and the stubborn people who are resolved not to believe, the existence and the non-existence of the signs is equal. Even when such people do see a miracle, they either find all types of excuses to deny it, or temporarily accept it before reverting to their position.
Again, past nations provide ample example for this phenomenon, among them the Israelites. This is because in reality the presence or absence of miracles was irrelevant to them, since they couldnt even appreciate the daily signs attesting to higher realities around them. What prevented their belief was the message and its implication in their every day lives. A God-conscious, believer in the unseen sees confirmation of a Day of Resurrection in the cycle of life and death around him 43:11.
These kind of verses mentioning the obvious signs around man, almost always contain the same phrases explaining that the spiritual implications of these signs can only be perceived by those who already incline to the Truth, the spiritually aware, believers in the Unseen
3:190-1"in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day there are signs for men who understand, those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth".
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
The only context where blood sacrifice is an obligation is when the Temple of Jerusalem is built and the people living close to it are allowed to bring their animals there. Without a Temple Jews are forbidden from bringing sacrifices. When the Temple is rebuilt in the messianic age, animal sacrifices will resume.
This by the way undermines the Christological notion of the human god/lamb's once and for all atoning sacrifice.
The concept that blood offering is a primordial requirement for sin atonement, isnt found in Jesus' sayings but in
Hebrews9:22"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission".
Nowhere in the Jewish Scriptures do you find the message that without blood there is no remission. Besides the HB being filled with prayers of forgiveness and admonishment to repent, with or without an offering, such a notion renders meaningless the Lord's prayer in the NT. Jesus would have been teaching his followers a useless prayer of forgiveness.
Lk11"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us"
What is further striking is that throughout Acts, where the apostles give a number of speeches in order to convert others to the faith, the notion of Jesus' death as an atoning sacrifice is absent.
The mistake that atonement of sin requires a blood sacrifice comes from a mis-reading of Lev17 where Jews are forbidden from eating blood and told its only purpose is on the altar or to be thrown away into the dirt Lev17:13, but nowhere does it say that only blood atones.
The Torah is very specific on what types of sacrifices are brought, and for what purpose (thanksgiving, celebration, gifts to God, atonement of very specific sins, guilt, etc.). There are various types of offerings and very few had anything to do with sin. All of this is explained in Leviticus. The offerings range from animals, money, flour, incense, etc. and of course never human beings, as in the Christian model, something the God of the HB abhors.
Even then, repentance is still required along with the offering for the expiation of the specific sin to be complete. But one always finds the overarching principle that sacrifice is nothing compared to the foremost thing: obedience
1Sam15:22"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?"
Of course God does not delight in something of lesser value than another, like a human would delight in sweets rather than more valuable wholesome foods. David says:
Ps69:30-31"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. [This] also shall please the LORD better than an ox [or] bullock that hath horns and hoofs"
see also Prov15:8,16:6,Isa58:3,5,Jer4:1-2,7:3,22-23,25:5,26:3-6,36:3,7,50:20.
The Abrahamic religions are religions of faith and deeds. The Abrahamic God did not entangle mankind in a system only His intervention can resolve, through the dramatic sending of His son/self to be beaten and murdered. He did not burden mankind with what they cannot bear, so as to purposefully condemn them.
Blood atones, but there are many other types of atonements for sins that were ordained long before the presence of a Temple, such as the time between the Exodus from Egypt and the arrival at Mount Sinai as alluded to by
Amos5“Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?"
These parallel ways for sin atonement, other than blood, also applied during and when the temple was destroyed
Deut4:27-31"Adonai will scatter you...But from that place you will seek out Adonai your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him out with all your heart and all your being...and you will start listening to His Voice, because Adonai your God is a compassionate God.."
What is damaging however from a Christological perspective is that the prophets of the HB did envision a time where such a thing would happen. None said a thing about believing in Jesus or any other messianic claimant, as an alternative way to be accepted by God. Instead, they were commanded by God Himself to turn to Him in prayer and repentance Hos3,14,1Kings8:46-50. This would have been the perfect occasion in scripture to integrate Jesus in the grand scheme of divine salvation. But it doesnt.
Here are some of these ways which the prophets prescribed for sin atonement, nothing about believing in Jesus or the messiah;
- repentance and confession 2Sam12:13-14,Jonah3:10,Lev26:40-42,Ezek18:21-32,33:11-16,Hosea6:6,Ps32:5,Prov21:3,Isa55:7. This way was preached by all prophets for the removal of sin because God is forgiving
Ps86:5,Numbers14:20"Then the LORD said, 'I do forgive, just as you have asked".
David was forgiven simply through repentance as referenced earlier in 2Sam12:13. Not only that, he is also told in Ps51:18-19 that in regards to this very sin, no blood was required of him. If David's sin could be forgiven without blood, what prevents the notion from applying to other sins, just as the HB teaches in countless places?
- truth, justice, love and charity Micah6:6-8,Prov16:6,Daniel4:27
- prayer whether sincerely made by Jews or non-Jews Hos14:2-3,1Kings8:46-52,Daniel9:19,2Chron7:13-14,6:24-40,Prov15:8,Jonah3:5-10. Numerous passages, including Hosea 14, say how prayers have taken the place of sacrifices. This is reflected in
Ps51:17"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and a broken and contrite heart"
and
Hos6:6"I desire kindness and not sacrifices, the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings".
In Ps40:6 we learn that while God does place an importance on blood sacrifice, He puts more importance on penitence and the resolve to do better.
- suffering as a means of refinement Deut8:16,Isa48:10,Ps105:19
- death Isa22:14
- flour offerings to be placed on top of the fire offering, not necessarily on top of the blood Lev5:11-13. This could be done by placing this particular flour offering on top of other flour offerings Lev6:11 the same way as one blood offering is placed on top of another Lev4:35. This type of offering was brought by the poor, who could by definition, not afford sacrificing an animal. Flour is not mixed with the previous offering of another person, nothing indicates it was. Blood is usually sprinkled on the side of the alter, the rest drained at its base. Flour is placed on top. Nowhere do we see that the blood is placed where sin offerings are placed. The pieces of the animal offering placed on top have had their life blood drained long ago. Lev1:9 even insists these parts be washed first. At no point is there any requirement for the meal offering (flour here) be mixed with blood on top of the altar. How will it even burn if it is soaked with blood?
- money Ex30:15
- jewelry Num31:50
- incense Num17:11-12
In fact we even read that even while the Temple is standing, it is no guarantee that blood sacrifice will expiate for sins Lev26:31. Obedience is the primary requirement for a sacrifice to be accepted, as stated earlier. Blood does not "automatically" atone
Prov15:8,21:27"the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination before the Lord".
Even while the Temple is standing, a penitent heart is what makes the blood expiate the sins. That is why in the absence of a Temple and the impossibility to bring a sacrifice, atonement for sins is still achieveable.
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
That is only wishful thinking, unsupported by the plain meaning of the text. The primary purpose for which Adam and Eve were created, was to fill the earth and rule over the living creatures Gen1:28-29,2:5. They were created from the ground of the earth (not heaven) Gen2:7-8.
Adam and Eve's "immortality" was tied to eating from the Tree of Life, which they could freely access as the Garden of Eden's caretakers Gen2:15-17. Since their "immortality" was conditioned on their staying in the Garden of Eden, it means that they were actually mortal human beings who were able to benefit from the privilege of eating the fruit of the Tree of Life to stay alive indefinitely.
Their transgression, marked by the eating from another tree, the tree of knowledge, which imbued them with consciousness of both good and evil resulted in their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
With that expulsion, their ability to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Life stopped. Had they kept eating from the tree of life, now that they are aware of not only good, but also evil, the result could have been that spiritualy degenerate people and criminals might live forever. A type of angel, an angel of destruction, the cherubim was tasked with guarding the garden's entrance to prevent that eventuality.
Thus the result of their expulsion is that they eventually died. Despite certain important variations, many fundamental aspects remain in the HB and parallel with the Quranic account, including the fact that it must have been God's plan from the beginning to ultimately place mankind on the earth, as His vicegerents 2:30. The main areas where the Quran disagrees with the Torah is that in the latter, the knowledge of good and evil were concealed from man in a "tree of knowledge" whereas the Quran clearly states that this spiritual feature is ingrained and hardwired in man 91:7-10.
According to the interpolated HB, when man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good an evil, man "became like one of us", against God's will and desire. According to the Quran, God "breathed into man of his spirit" and in sura Shams, defines it as
"He inspired the soul with the knowledge of evil and good",
meaning he was meant to "become like us". The HB still contains elements of this reality when it states that man was created in the "image of God".
This is one of many examples of Quranic intertextuality, the Quran's purposeful engagement with the biblical narrative, correcting it in a profound manner in accordance with its own distinctive theological message.
We thus see the Quran giving a consistent, comprehensive picture of creation from the beginning. Mankind were made mortals from the start 2:30 so as to allow them to be tested in their spiritual resolve and ultimately held accountable in the afterlife
67:1-2"Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent - who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving".
All tools are put at man's disposal to pass this test; both inner and outward. Senses of spiritual perception to derive the higher meaning from the constant processes of this universe, and direct guidance through chosen individuals who communicate the will of the Creator. All these arrangements do not necessitate that man will succeed, or else there would be no test. Rather man was created as a volitional creature, with a neutral spiritual nature 30:30 that is shaped and developed according to one's moral choices throughout life 91:7-10. Death is therefore not an accident, nor is mankind of flawed spiritual disposition. In the Christian model, the purpose of man was redefined in the course of history. Although he was first made to live forever in heaven, man's disobedience sent him to this world and caused him to wander aimlessly as all his thoughts and deeds became stained with sin. At one point God created a device to compensate for that inherent human flaw, which is a divine sacrifice, thereby giving man a new purpose; accepting Jesus' sacrifice.
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
Finally, Jesus' "love your enemy", which most Christians uneducated in their own scriptures like quoting, does not refer to all kind of enemies, only to a certain type, those to whom if replied with good and magnanimity may reform themselves and become our friends, as stated in the Quran
"It may be that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those whom you hold to be your enemies among them".
It is a call to try and show love to those who do not necessarily love us, with the hope of them changing their attitude towards us. In a passage absent from the oldest manuscripts of Luke over a wide geographical distribution, Jesus while on the cross prays to the Father
Lk23:34"forgive them, they do not know what they are doing".
Again, the words here are conditional and do not concern those who opposed him knowingly, and whom he condemned in his lifetime. The prayer is to those who engage in harmful behavior from ignorance. These are the type of "persecuters" Jesus, and any other prophet prayed for, because they might mend their ways once truth has been properly exposed to them.
The concept of unconditional divine "love" not only is beyond common sense, as it would encourage the oppressor in the sin and even turn the passive victim into an accomplice in the crime, but in addition this notion is one that is alien to all scriptures. Both the Quran and the previous scriptures clearly define what God loves and what He doesnt
Prov8:17"I will love those who love me, and those who seek me eagerly will find me"
Prov15:9"The way of a wicked man is an abomination of the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness".
The Greek writings themselves reflect that notion in several places as previously mentioned, including in
Jn14:21"he that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him".
Nothing about loving those that do not love Him, and are defiantly sinful. God certainly loves his creatures, but not the ones that willfully disobey, rather until they repent. God doesnt love the stubborn sinner but the repentent sinner.
Nothing about loving those that do not love Him, and are defiantly sinful. In fact, immediately after stating that God
Jn3:16"so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son"
a restriction states to who that love extends
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned".
Further, despite the
1Jn3"great love the Father has lavished on us...This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child".
God certainly loves his creatures, but not the ones that wilfully disobey, until they repent. God doesnt love the stubborn sinner but the repentent sinner.
There is a reason why Love of Truth and aversion towards everything false and sinful is the natural outcome of the acceptance of the straight path. One becomes in a heightened state of spiritual awareness, constantly longing to be increased in divine knowledge and wisdom. It is however important to keep in view that the Quran here is not speaking of hatred towards the sinful person itself.
There are countless verses encouraging rectitude and compassion indiscriminately even towards one's enemies, and regardless of the person's religion or lack thereof.
Religious hatred is hatred for evil and evil deeds. This again, demonstrates the supreme pragmatism of the Quran; infatuated love and destructive hatred completely miss the mark. One hates for the sake of God and loves for the sake of God. One hates the evil deed because it harms the sinner, just as one loves the good deed because it brings one closer to guidance. The prophet encapsulated that notion when he spoke of a category of people whom the prophets and martyrs themselves will envy 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".
The HB surely echoes the theme of religious hatred although it amalgamates hatred towards the individual itself as reflected in David's
Psalms119:104-5,139:21-22"From Your precepts I shall gain understanding; therefore, I hate all ways of falsehood. Your words are a lamp for my foot, and light for my path...Did I not hate Your enemies, O Lord? With those who rise up against You, I quarrel. I hate them with utmost hatred; they have become my enemies"
In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"
The Quran says, Fear of God, awareness of the seriousness of His threats avoids one from falling into self-complacency, makes one feel obliged at all times to act upon Divine Commands and regard the righteous good deeds as insignificant in the face of divine perfection 7:99,70:24-8. This state of mind further frees one from any tinge of idolatry as it makes one aware that no protector ultimately exists outside of Allah
6:14,51,70,17:111"Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification" 33:17"Say, "Who is it that can protect you from Allah if He intends for you an ill or intends for you a mercy?" And they will not find for themselves besides Allah any protector or any helper".
That notion is such a crucial component of faith that after introducing His identity through His observable attributes, God describes His servants as those who, among other lofty characteristics, fear the seriousness of His threats more than they desire His reward 25:60-77.
Fear however can never be the sole constituent of belief, it must be balanced with 2 other elements; hope 12:87 and love for God
32:16"call upon their Sustainer in fear and in hope"
21:90"These people exerted their utmost in righteous deeds and called upon Us with love and fear and they remained humble before Us".
From a philosophical viewpoint, fear, whether in the natural or spiritual world, is an asset without which survival is impossible. But it must be balanced and controlled or else it leads to stagnation and even death. As is taught to us by the Creator, spiritually, fear must be balanced with love and trust.
The correct attitude is to never fall into either extreme, becoming self-complacent or hopeless of God's mercy. This upright perspective leads one to continuously strive to increase safety/iman in Allah.
This balanced attitude is reflected in the saying of the prophet
“If the believer knew what was with Allah of punishment, no one would hope for Paradise; and if the disbeliever knew what was with Allah of Mercy, no one would despair of attaining Paradise".
Elsewhere the Quran describes the successful as those who "hope" to meet their Lord and "hope" for His forgiveness 2:218,18:110.
This is a sign of humility, when even within the same verse, those people are reassured that Allah is surely forgiving and merciful, they still keep in mind that salvation is ultimately in God's hands
2:218"Surely those who believed and those who fled (their home) and strove hard in the way of Allah these hope for the mercy of Allah and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful".
The believer in those concepts, the one who knows what God demands of Him and what not, what His Sustainer loves in His servant and what not, continuously toils in the path of truth, without pride and self content. Contrary to the scripturally indefensible concept of an unconditionally loving God, which leads to conceit and self-righteousness, the one striving to meet God's explicit criteria of approval, constantly remains God-conscious. He remains humble, never thinking he is beyond reproach, fearing the seriousness of God's threats as well as hoping for His mercy, until he meets his Creator.
39:23"Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills".
The Love is evident in the word IMAN that denotes profound and sincere feeling of safety implying that one is in complete trust of a protective entity, that is, God. One cannot feel safe in an entity without having love for that entity, and knowing in turn that the entity is loving.
This is where the Quran explains that this love isnt reciprocal, but more intense when coming from God.
He is as al-rahman, the intensification of rahma. The root R-H-M means WOMB. Therefore in order to imagine what this word actually means one has to picture the womb and what it does to the fetus. It nurtures, protects, provides warmth, love etc. without even the fetus being aware of it. This word describes God's unconditional, intricate, unfathomable love for His creatures. There are several literary devices the Quran uses to illustrate the concept of divine love.
For example in sura fatiha. Allah is firstly called rabb/the Raiser or Sustainer. Since it is a word implying authority, and that authority doesnt necessarily evoke the concept of love, immidiately after, God is called al rahman. It is in the intensive form, but another characteristic of the word is that it does not cover the future. Which is why rahim comes next, undetermined in time. This makes the rabb take care with love now by answering present needs, and does the same for later needs.
However, to strike a balance in human psyche, who is now told that the master answers with intense love, the concept of accountability is introduced malik yawm eddin/master of the day of judgement. This is because intense love is most often abused of, negatively taken advantage of. So, although God's love in unconditional when it comes to caring for His creatures and making all necessary arrangements for their ultimate success, such love does not confuse His perfect justice and does not prevent Him in the least from applying the appropriate sentence no matter how severe. This is the Quran's supreme precision, pragmatism, consistency in the manner it conveys its concepts and interconnects them from word to word, verse to verse, chapter to chapter.
Mercy is a particular attribute of God, described as being "ordained" upon God's self 6:12,54. None of the other divine attributes have been described with this expression "kataba ala nafsihi". This statement is meant to emphasize that Allah is merciful but also that Allah made mercy a self imposed mandate upon himself. When something is written, it conveys the sense that it is well established and solid. God is the Creator and Owner, Sustainer of the universe. He makes it function in accordance with the laws He likes and these laws are rooted in His mercy. He in addition decided to inform His servants of that self imposed commitment, yet He ows them nothing.
"Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son".
Another hadith demonstrates how, if Allah were to create anything to make it enter into one of the abodes of the hereafter, it would be to make it enter paradise
"The Prophet (ï·º) said, "(The people will be thrown into Hell ( Fire) and it will keep on saying, 'Is there any more?' till the Lord of the worlds puts His Foot over it, whereupon its different sides will come close to each other, and it will say, 'Qad! Qad! (enough! enough!) By Your 'Izzat (Honor and Power) and Your Karam (Generosity)!' Paradise will remain spacious enough to accommodate more people until Allah will create a new creation and let them dwell in the superfluous space of Paradise".
These new creation could be the dwellers of hell that will eventually be admitted to paradise, or something else known to Allah.
Divine mercy is thus hardwired into the teachings of the prophet and the Quranic revelation,
even in those passages most quoted by Islam critics attempting to cast it into an evil and wantonly violent religion. There is simply no plausible way to understand the Quran in a manner bereft of mercy and compassion. An interesting parallel can be made with a statement from the Tanakh
Psalms89:3"a world which manifests Your loving kindness, You did build".
Giving requires a receiver. So God created human beings to be the recipients of His bounty. He has brought mankind into existence and established a system of moral accountability it is therefore natural that He makes all necessary arrangements for a just retribution
41:2"A revelation from the Beneficent, the Merciful Allah".
Spiritual guidance is a natural consequence of this Mercy, despite most men being unworthy of it
43:5"shall We then turn away the reminder from you altogether because you are an extravagant people?"
