Acts17apologetics find a prophetic pattern; Effect of revelation on Muhammad?

In answer to the video "Muhammad Was Spiritually Disturbed; Paul Wasn't (PvM 19)"

At around the age of 40, Muhammad would retire in al Hira where he would meditate, and his loving wife Khadija would bring him food to help him in the process. A narration from Aisha relates how 6 months prior to that momentous event, the prophet had dreams every single night of happenings that would occur the following day. He was being prepared in an increasing manner to be in touch with the metaphysical realm. 
During one of those seclusions, Muhammad, extremely respected for his wisdom, truthfulness, honesty, charity and honourable character, is formally introduced to his momentous mission with the first revelation, consisting of the first 5 verses of Sura Al Alaq

96:1-5"Recite in the Name of Your Lord Who created. He created the human being from a clot. Recite and your Lord is Most Honourable, Who taught (to write) with the pen, taught the human being what he knew not".

The one who taught Muhammad these heavenly words was the same whom he would see in his dreams months prior. This led him to think at first that he was hallucinating. So when he first resisted the command to "read". In answer, the angelic visitor repeatedly hugged him with strength so he would know he was not hallucinating, that his experience was tangible and real. After resisting and interrupting three times and pressed three times, Muhammad allowed Jibril to reveal the verses in totality and recited exactly as he was commanded.

 

We're not talking of God or the angel of God, wrestling with a prophet, and that prophet overcoming him, as is alleged in regards to prophet Joseph in the Biblical account. 

The prophet Muhammad's encounter with the metaphysical realm is very realistically depicted. He is a normal human being whose first reaction is fear and denial upon seeing a supernatural creature in a remote location, alone. That fear and confusion however did not pertain to the revelation itself, which he flawlessly recited when pressed the third time.

As he was comforted by his entourage, then confirmed in his prophethood by the old Waraqa, his disbelief dissipated. That short and shocking introduction to revelation was followed by a long period, where no such supernatural encounter occurred. This is highly corroborative of the prophet's sincerity, as he was expected to keep on receiving revelation to enhance his credibility and corroborate his extraordinary claims. But as time passed, up to 3 years according to tradition, the prophet himself, despite his initial terror started longing for Jibril to return. When he did, it was again a magnificent but shocking sight 

"While I was walking I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up towards the sky, and behold! I saw the same Angel who came to me in the Cave of Hira', sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I was so terrified by him that I fell down on the ground. Then I went to my wife and said, 'Wrap me in garments! Wrap me in garments!' They wrapped me, and then Allah revealed: "O you, (Muhammad) wrapped-up! Arise and warn...and desert the idols." (74.1-5) Abu Salama said....Rujz means idols." After that, the Divine Inspiration started coming more frequently and regularly". 

This time, the prophet did not resist uttering the revelation. Thereafter his heart was progressively accustomed to bearing the connection with the metaphysical realm through concise revelations, he would not experience fear and terror whenever the angel appeared.  In fact, contrary to his initial resistance, a little after his first encounter, the prophet became so eager in memorizing, understanding and communicating the revelation, that he would hastily repeat what Gabriel inspired him, as he was receiving it. The Quran came to check him on that anxiousness, and to appease his fear 

75:16-9"Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur'an. Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation. So when We have recited it, then follow its recitation. Then upon Us is its clarification [to you]".

It is important to emphasize, prophethood came totally unexpectedly to him 

28:86"And you did not expect that the Book would be inspired to you, but it is a mercy from your Lord". 

He in addition never entertained, prior to it, the idea of political and religious leadership. As his early critics among the notables themselves objected, he was unimportant from that perspective prior to claiming prophethood and to them, such a weighty message, if true, should only be delivered to a notable 43:31. He did not display any such intent prior to it as his opponents themselves could not deny, nothing out of the ordinary in his demeanor and ambitions as would have been evident for anyone with political aspirations, besides his notoriety as a trustworthy and upright individual 10:16. That is also putting aside his state of shock following his vivid encounter with the divine, revealing utter unpreparedness for its implications. To these may be added the well-known facts of his denial of any desire for material gains out of his mission and, more particularly, his turning down of the Quraysh leaders' repeated offers of wealth, leadership and power to him in lieu of his abandoning his mission or compromising some of its tenets as repeatedly alluded to both in the Quran and traditions.

The exact process of revelation is a process unknown to humans and the prophets themselves do not understand its intricate details 17:85 however from the prophet Muhammad's testimony in the oral tradition where he describes the way he felt it coming to him, we know it could sometimes be a very powerful and internally violent experience. Especially so the very first revelation of sura Alaq that left him overwhelmed, exhausted and terrorized. But he never thought he was being visited by evil entities like the jinn, that were believed to come to the poets with eloquent words. The prophet never doubted that his encounter was with an angelic entity, as described earlier. The Quran unequivocally identifies the carrier of God's word to the prophet as the angel Gabriel. And although no self-serving reports exist where the angel of revelation formally introduces himself, we do have many reports where the prophet identifies the agent of revelation as Gabriel.

In the darkest times of his prophetic mission, towards the beginning, the prophet Muhammad would often retreat in fear, as any human being would be in that situation. Violent opposition and derision, intense sacrifices and possible death, are the lot of the prophets, especially at the beginning of their call. Revelation would come to comfort him and pull him out of that state of mind. He would be told to rise and through acts of devotion, to prepare himself spiritually to be able to bear what is about to come down on him from on high

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

The Quran often uses the image of vastness, greatness found in nature and more particularly the mountains when it wants to express the massive importance of a thing, more specifically of this Revelation

14:46,10:22-23,42:33,59:21"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect".

This kind of imagery, again pictured in 13:31, is meant at contrasting those whose hearts are more inert and harder to penetrate by divine guidance, than a massive mountain would be. This literary style also serves the purpose of picturing the importance of Revelation; it takes a special kind of creature with a special kind of internal disposition to be able to bear it, in addition to bearing the consequences of having to communicate it.  The word used in sura sharh to describe what kind of burden Muhammad was relieved from through God's expansion of his chest is wizr, used for something nearly unbearable

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

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

There are narrations speaking of the effects of revelation, not only on the prophet but on those around him; his camel would sit and sink into the sand, a close companion whose knee happened to be under that of the prophet almost shattered. When he described it at times coming to him "like" the sound of a bell (meaning something similar but not the same) it was to convey to his addressees in terms they could relate to, what he was personally experiencing.

All of the various manifestations of revelation on him were far removed from any sign of neuronal illness, as some malicious critics have recently suggested, since he never lost consciousness or memory during the process. The slander of epilepsy, unsurprisingly finds its source 200 years following the prophet's death by the pens of Bible loving Christians the likes of Theophanes. The Arabs knew what was the disease of epilepsy, even had a word for it. Once Ibn Abbas narrated 

“This black lady came to the Prophet and said, ‘I get attacks of epilepsy/sara'a and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.’ The Prophet said (to her), ‘If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.’ She said, ‘I will remain patient,’ and added, ‘but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.’ So he invoked Allah for her". 

None of his revelational experiences as reported in the ahadith conform to the symptoms of a mental illness. When he was first visited by Gabriel who compelled him the "Read". He was fully conscious and returned home terrified. When the painful ringing of a bell occurs, he retains what was revealed to him then recites it. His companions witnessed sweat drops forming on his forehead even on cold days, after which he would recite the revelation. When the burden of revelation descended on him and his face turned red on account of its intensity, Ubida b. Samit said he would then begin reciting. Similar events would precede a recitation, as witnessed by his companions, such as when his camel's legs would sink in the sand or a person's leg above which the prophet's leg was resting would almost crush from the weight. 

Even though some physical effects of the revelation may resemble those of epilepsy, such as trembling and foaming, they could as well be due to the intensity of the process upon his body. This effect (trembling or foaming) was not generalized and again, immediately after the prophet would gain lucidity and begin to recite. Epileptic seizures are for the most part followed by a state of confusion and amnesia. The Prophet experienced revelation in all situations, when he was seated, standing, walking or riding, morning and evening, and even when he was talking to others, whether friends or foes. Revelation would come unexpectedly and cease just as suddenly. It would last only for a very brief period.

The prophet's experience, besides being witnessed as it occurred to him and changed his demeanour, or when it physically affected things around him, is also attested in the ahadith, speaking of a man appearing out of nowhere on several occasions in the life of the prophet and the community. That person would then take on a leading role, including to teach the prophet and his followers, publicly, the daily prayers, as well as to command him and the Muslim soldiers, to besiege the treacherous tribe of Bani Qurayza. These are not trivial issues, whether from the point of view of the religion, or the life of the community, showing that the prophet, although the uncontested leader of his people, was not acting from his own accord in essential matters. The ahadith relate several other encounters with the same man, unknown to the closest companions, appearing in unlikely circumstances among the people, then disappearing, and always in slightly different physical shape. He would be identified as the angel Jibril whenever the people inquired to the prophet. This "man" was around the prophet and the community from the very beginning, as the prophet was taught the first revelation, to other instances where the companions witnessed him teaching the Quran to the prophet, to when they saw him visit the prophet when he became sick. In terms of resemblance, the prophet likened him to a companion named Dihya. Someone else once confused him with Dihya too. Dihya as a side note, was not influential in the community in any way, even after the prophet's death did not attain to any leading position, neither was he among the closest companions whose decisions were considered by the prophet, nor was he knowledgeable so as to contribute to the Quran. Despite this closeness of interaction, none among the community was able to get a hold of the mysterious visitor, or could interact with him once the purposes of his visits were over. Medina's population at the time was around 20.000, the type of social life was very open and each individual had a very large network of friends and kinsfolk. It would have been impossible for this man to escape the people's grasp, let alone the numerous hypocrites who were always on the lookout to discredit the prophet, had he been known or been living in or anywhere near Medina. Other appearances were observed during battles, with men dressed as the occasional visitor of the prophet was

 "Narrated Sa`d: On the day of the battle of Uhud, on the right and on the left of the Prophet were two men wearing white clothes, and I had neither seen them before, nor did I see them afterwards".

Just as the first revelation of the Quran caused him extreme fatigue, as well as overwhelmed him emotionally, we see the same pattern in regards to the revelational experience of the prophets of the HB. When the word of God descends it is described as Deut33:2"fiery", and prophets the likes of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel stated concerning the revelational experience that it can be

Isa8:11"overwhelming"  

Jer20:9"And it was in my heart like a burning fire"  

and Ezek2:2,8"the spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and it stood me on my feet...hearken to what I speak to you, open your mouth and eat what I give you..".

Daniel fell in a swoon when the angel Gabriel began speaking to him Dan8:15-18. He lost consciousness a second time when the angelic carrier of revelation visited him and spoke to him directly Dan10:4-9. The angel Gabriel, after having assumed the shape of a human being, infused Daniel with strength in order for him to regain consciousness and be able to speak Dan10:10-19.

Obviously none of this pattern among the Israelite prophets and the Ishmaelite prophet parallel with Saul/Paul's encounter with a shining light. Similarly, the Pharisees' reaction was justified in Acts2:13 when they mockingly alluded to people on the day of pentecost as a group of drunkards, for their odd, erratic behavior and incomprehensible speech; this type of effect that the indwelling spirit of holiness supposedly had on them was something unheard of in the prophetic history. No prophet who received the holyspirit ever behaved in such a manner, whether the prophets of the HB down to the last Ishmaelite prophet.

Concerning Malachi, it is described as

Mal1:1"The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel in the hand of Malachi".

Again when comparing true inspiration to the alleged prophetic dreams of false prophets God states

Jer23:29"Is not My word so like fire? says the Lord, and like a hammer that shatters a rock?".

There always is an element of compulsion, implying that when God chooses an individual to be the recipient of revelation, prophecy seizes him against his will, as alluded to by Ezekiel who was fearfully setting himself to confront a highly sinful nation of Israelites

Ezek3:14,11:5"and I went, embittered in the wrath of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord became strong upon me..Then the spirit of the Lord fell upon me".

Depending on the manner in which it is communicated it can be extremely terrorizing, the prophet Amos compares it to the roaring of a lion Amos3:8, and when revelation was collectively bestowed upon the Israelites, they even thought they would die, begging Moses to put a halt to the experience by becoming their sole intermediary with God Deut5:23-27. There are also mention of various degrees of revelation intensity, such as in Numbers11:17 speaking of God intensifying the spirit of prophecy that was filling Moses, or doubling the power of the spirit of prophecy from a prophet to another, from Elijah to Elisha who effectively was granted double the miracles than his master Elijah 2Kings2:9. It is also important emphasizing that the medium of revelation is always angelic, just as with the prophet Muhammad. 

The weightier the revelation in terms of implications and importance, the more intense and overwhelming it is to the human recipient. One cannot compare the revelation to Zakariyya of a future child, to the revelation of the Torah and the covenant experienced by the Israelites at Mt Sinai who consequently thought they would die, or to the revelation bestowed upon Muhammad, one that could shatter a mountain if it was made to descend on it. The Quran speaks of the capabilities and prestige of the carriers of revelation to Muhammad's heart so as to highlight this weightiness. There is a reason why Waraqa the Christian in his old age, after learning of what had occurred with Muhammad immediately declares it is namus, the Arabic transcription of the Greek nomos meaning Law or Torah. Waraqa recognized that what Muhammad experienced was the same as had once happened to Moses with the sending down of the Torah on Sinai.

Apostate prophet reflects on higher meanings; Sun prostrates to Allah?

In answer to the video "The Quran and the Sun Setting in Muddy Spring"

The hadith stating the sun prostrates beneath the divine throne; it firstly is noteworthy that this particular report has been a controversial topic among Muslim scholars even before the scientific era. It wasnt because of scientific advancements that Muslims debated over its meaning. Some held that the sun stopped all motion during prostration, while others believed it did not.

Second the hadith does not give the cause of sunset, whether it is due to the sun's movement or not. Neither does it say that the sun sets under the throne. Also, the phenomenon of the sun's prostration and glorification of God is unknown to us, as said in the Quran 17:44. The sun isnt a human being for us to try and imagine it prostrating and glorifying God as we do. Thus solar prostration and rising from prostration, as spoken of in the hadith are both unrelated to observable physical motion. That is why even in medieval times, scholars understood that the sun is in perpetual movement regardless of rising/setting or prostrating, as further stressed in 36:38.

The divine throne according to the Quran 2:255 and the prophetic sayings, is an entity that encompasses all that exists. So whichever position the sun, and any other created thing is at any point, it is always encompassed by and underneath the divine throne

"the seven heavens in relation to the Kursi are like a ring thrown into a waterless desert. And the superiority of the Arsh over the Kursi is like the superiority of the desert over that ring". 

So the sun does not need to reach a specific spot to be underneath the throne and then perform the prostration.

Simply, during its perpetual orbital course accross the galaxy, there are times where it prostrates underneath the throne. At the time of sunset when the prophet was speaking, the sun was on an course until it glorified God in an unfathomable manner. This doesnt mean that every time a sunset occurs, it coincides with this phenomenon. It could happen at anytime of the day or night, and one of those time at which it occured was at sunset on the Arabian peninsula when the prophet made the statement. Also, this "permission to rise"  cannot be related to what is perceived as sunrise. Because this "rising" happens from the same place where permission was asked. Trying to argue for the opposite implies that sunrise must happen from the same place as sunset, which is absurd. It says this "rising" occurs after prostration underneath the throne. It is rising from prostration, not rising from sunset. 

Among several views reported by ibn Kathir, is that prostration of the sun is at midnight. Even this medieval geocentric view does not connect the sun's prostration to sunset, which happens much earlier than midnight 

"(The first view) is that it refers to its fixed course of location, which is beneath the Throne, beyond the earth in that direction. Wherever it goes, it is beneath the Throne, it and all of creation, because the Throne is the roof of creation and it is not a sphere as many astronomers claim. Rather it is a dome supported by legs or pillars, carried by the angels, and it is above the universe, above the heads of people. When the sun is at its zenith at noon, it is in its closest position to Throne, and when it runs in its fourth orbit at the opposite point to its zenith, at midnight, it is in its furthest position from the Throne. At that point it prostrates and asks for permission to rise, as mentioned in the Hadiths. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I was with the Prophet in the Masjid at sunset, and he said..." 

He further reports the view that the sun never stops motion, regardless of sunrise and sunset. This doesnt agree with the interpretation that prostration and permission to rise entails temporary stop.

The hadith attributed to Abu Dharr where the prophet says the sun sets in a muddy spring is unreliable. The hadith authorities only graded the chain of narrators as reliable (sahih al isnad) but not the matn (content) because it contradicts the more reliable matn cited earlier. This is something very important to consider for those wishing to approach the Islamic texts hastily then run away with their faulty conclusions. In hadith science, it isnt because a chain of narrator is reliable that the content is necessarily accepted, hence the classification "sahih al isnad". Here again is the more reliable version of the hadith, in which no mention of the muddy spring is made

"Narrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet asked me at sunset, "Do you know where it goes (a weaker chain says "sets")?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "It goes till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne. It then takes the permission (ie to rise from prostration), and it is permitted. Soon it will prostrate, but it will not be accepted from it, and it will ask permission (to rise from prostration), but it will not be permitted. It will be said to it; "return to where you came from". So it will rise from its place of setting. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: "And the sun runs on its fixed course, for an appointed term. That is the designing of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing".

This is the most trustworthy and authentic narration cited by both Bukhari and Muslim, in which they have purposefully left out the bit about

"setting in murky water".

From all the channels of transmission, only one has these words, making it a hadith with anomaly/shaad which is a subgroup of weak reports. A noteworthy observation is that this hadith was uttered much later than sura kahf relating Dhul Qarnayn's journeys. Had the companions understood the verse of setting in a body of water literally, they would have applied it to the situation, yet they didnt. 

Further, the hadith is unrelated to Dhul Qarnayn's story. It is a comment on verse 38 of sura yasin, which is a verse about the day of resurrection. It speaks of the sun "running", which fits the sun's movement across the galaxy. The word denotes rapid movement contrary to the perceived motion of the sun during the day. The sun is "running", perpetually to its place of rest, its end point. During that perpetual course, it prostrates underneath the all encompassing divine throne. The hadith then describes apocalyptic events. It tells us what will happen when that time comes. When it reaches its decreed end, the sun will be in a state of prostration, but that prostration will be rejected. Neither will it be allowed to rise from prostration. Instead, it will be told to revert to where it came from prior to its prostration. That sudden change in course will make it appear to be rising from where it set.

Apostate prophet viewpoint confusion; Quran says Sun sets in muddy spring?

In answer to the video "The Quran and the Sun Setting in Muddy Spring"

The Quran in that passage relates Dhul Qarnayn's perspective.

18:86,90 relate some of Dhul Qarnayn's journeys across the Earth. The Quran describes, as a third party observer, what he and the people he met experienced and saw in these places. 18:90 describes his arrival at the place of the rising sun, where HE saw it rising. matliAAa alshshams/maghrib alshshams do not have a fixed meaning in classical Arabic. It all depends on the context of its use. It can be rising of the sun/setting of the sun, it can be ‘the land of the rising sun’/land of the setting sun, it can be farthest east/farthest west. The scene is being described after the event had happened, and as perceived by one person. It is not making a general statement of fact as regards the cosmic path of the sun, as it does in 21:33. 

Dhul Qarnayn travelled the land and at one point during his expedition saw the sun rising from where he was standing. This is how he knew he had reached the rising place of the sun, not because he had arrived at the flat earth's edges or to a place with a hole in the ground from where the sun came up. Wajadaha, means subjective perception of any of the senses. As is amply used in Arabic, the word doesnt imply that what is perceived corresponds to actual reality. It could be, just as it could not be. Again the passage relates Dhul Qarnayn's perspective, not necessarily a phenomenon physically occuring. This is seen a few verses later. It says Dhul Qarnayn "wajada" the sun rising on a people. It specifies the location of rising just as it does for the setting. No commentator argued that wajada here entails physical sunrise on a people, literally above them, because they did not think that the word indicates a literal location of sunset a few verses back. Had the word wajada, or any of the other words used indicate literal sunset, and that the early commentators endorsed such a view, then they would have stated the same as regards the location of sunrise. The fact that both Dhul Qarnayn and these people were in the same place, but yet only the locals were harmed by the rising sun proves that wajada cannot mean literal sunrise, just as it cannot mean literal sunset in a water source. 

This location of sunrise was not unique, as the Quran speaks of mashaariq and maghaarib. But it was worth mentioning for the point of the story. He met a particular people there, whom the Quran says Dhul Qarnayn found the sun rising upon. The reason for singling out a group from among those standing there and saying the sun was on them from Dhul Qarnayn's view, was to illustrate how they were, contrary to himself 

"a people to whom We had given no shelter from It". 

The blazing sun was affecting them only as a primitive people who did not cover themselves or know how to build proper protection against it, contrary to Dhul Qarnayn and his men who were standing at the same location, and who were obviously equally under the same sun. Dhul Qarnayn's finding the rising sun has thus nothing to do with a scientific observation or general statement of fact, rather temporary perspective from Dhul Qarnayn's angle.  

Similarly in 18:86, no civilisation ever believed, including the pre-Islamic Arabs, that the sun would sink in the water at night. People instead thought the sun rose and set at the flat Earth's edges. Had the Quran been merely reflecting its contemporaries' understanding of astronomy, it should have said something along the line of "he found it setting behind the water" had it meant Dhul Qarnayn reached a spot of physical sunset. But it says "in" the water. This description is appropriate to Dhul Qarnayn's location. He reached the westernmost spot of his journey, where he stopped his progress because of a water source/aynin. At this spot where he met a people, from his perspective, he saw the sun setting in the water. Al gharb as a side note means to disappear, not simply setting as in entering into another entity.

Ibn kathir, much before the scientific era and while the consensus on astronomy was geocentric, stated that this setting in a spring was from Dhul Qarnayn's perspective.

Tafsir literature as a side note is a literary genre open to reinterpretation even today, using exactly the same tools (linguistic, ahadith, fiqh) that are preserved and were available to the earliest generations of mufassirun. So to say that one tafsir says something and another more ancient, using exactly the same tools, says another is no proof of anything. Even the earliest works reported, discussed, selected, discarded previous views, as Attabari does for instance. As a further note on a particular angle of interpretation; the meaning of the Quran is not dependant on a commentator's projection of his own understanding of nature. Science is a field in constant reevaluation, and thus is not part of the exegetical tools of a mufassir. If however a commentator chooses to integrate it in his reading of a passage, then a commentator today, using the same tools available to his predecessors, added with current knowledge of nature, can supersede older interpretations in which the commentator projects his outdated scientific knowledge.

All the references in at Tabari to the sun setting in a spring allude to what Dhul Qarnayn saw. None of the views reported say that the setting place of the sun is in a spring, independently of Dhul Qarnayn's perspective. In fact Attabari, commenting on 21:33 states that the sun floats in a heavenly orbit. How could he then argue that it enters the earth to sink in a pond? Al Baghawi, al Mawrudi, Makki ibn abi Talib, Al Tusi, all of them much prior to ibn Kathir, and Al Tabarani who was a contemporary of Attabari and even ibn Qutayba who preceded Attabari all spoke of the metaphorical meaning of the verse, as a subjective perception from Dhul Qarnayn.

These verses speak from Dhul Qarnayn's perspective, what he saw on his expeditions, more specifically the people he met. That is why it speaks of several of his journeys including one inside a valley where his sight was blocked by the mountains and couldnt therefore see the sun rising nor setting 18:93. In short, Dhul Qarnayn probably saw many sunsets and sunrises on his journeys. But some of those where he saw sunrises and sunsets at the horizon were worth mentionning, because he met in them particular people whose characteristics are given in the verses 18:86-90. At the setting of the sun, it was disbelievers deserving punishement, at the rising of the sun it was very primitive people. Keeping in mind that the Quran repeatedly says there are countless rising and setting places for the sun. Finally, there is an expression used in 43:38 by the disbelievers on the day of judgement, to signify an infinite distance 

"Oh, I wish there was between me and you the distance of two sunrises/mashriqayn – how wretched a companion". 

The implicit meaning is that no matter how much one may pursue the physical rising place of the sun, one will never reached that spot. But even that unfathomable distance is not enough to express the disbeliever's loathing of his evil earthly companion, hence his wish to have him twice as far. This type of phraseology meant at expressing something with no qualitative or quantitative ending is found in other places, such as when depicts God's infinite knowledge and wisdom should it be put into writing 

31:27"And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise".

The Quran, it is to be kept in mind, repeatedly says there are countless rising and setting places for the sun 37:5,70:40. There isnt one single place of sunrise or sunset but each of those ephemeral sunrises and sunset spots where one can see the sun rising or setting when looking at the horizon must be referred to with a definite article when spoken of on their own 18:86,90. Mashaariq literally means "the places where the sun rises". The east can be implicit depending on one's position on Earth however "the places where the sun rises" can also include the south or the north as happens in certain Arctic/Antarctic times of the year.

Thats how accurate and consistent the Quran truly is contrary to other similarily ancient religious scriptures, such as the Hebrew Bible from where it is claimed the Quran finds inspiration. The HB, contrary to the Quran reflects the faulty cosmic understanding of the people that penned it, speaking of

Isa45:6,Ps113:3"the rising of the sun to the place where it sets".

It speaks of the sun traveling across the heaven from one end to another Ps19:7, circling the earth Ecc1:5. A salvific figure will be coming

Isa41:25"from the rising of the sun".

When daylight was miraculously prolonged for an additional 24 hours, it was because the sun stood still, instead of the earth Josh10:12-14. The end of a day was understood as when

"the sun descended very much"

until it set

"near Gibeah" Judges19:11-14.

There is a "dwelling" God has created for the setting sun, somewhere in the heavens Ps19:5, the place where both the sun and moon stand still in the face of God's might Hab3:11. There is also mention of times where

1Sam11:9"the sun is hot"

which implies that there are others where it cools down. What the ancients who wrote the Bible didnt know is that during this cooling off time, the opposite side of the round Earth was still receiving the Sun's warmth. The Sun was moving backwards in relation to the Earth during the miraculous extending of daytime Isa38:8.

Of course, the words of the Talmudic rabbis traditionaly considered God-given to Moses at Sinai, reflect all these faulty notions. In order to move from daylight to night (and vice versa) the sun had to go through the solid firmament, a dome sitting on top of the shallow flat earth. This passage happens twice a day, in the morning and the evening. As it goes through the firmament's width, the sun appears to be setting. This apparent time it takes for the sun to pierce through the firmament (approx 70min) is included until today by religious Jews as part of the daylight cycle.

It is perfectly expected for a human work, the Bible, to reflect every faulty notion of its human writers. What is astonishing is that all these erroneous views and others were equally believed by the ancient Arabs yet we do not find even as much as the remotest resemblance of any of these concepts with verses from the Quran depicting some natural phenomena.

Allah is the Lord of the mashaariq and maghaarib, the Creator and Ultimate Cause of all phenomenons in the universe, making the sun rise and set at different spots of the horizon throughout the solar year. God causes the movements in the universe making the sun rise at different spots in the horizon. Sometimes the Quran, when discribing a thing positionned far on the horizon, describes its position in terms of altitude as opposed to longitude which would have been the case had it thought the earth was flat 53:7.

Apostate prophet in search of the lost king; Who was Dhul Qarnayn?

In answer to the video "The Quran and the Sun Setting in Muddy Spring"

Dhul Qarnayn's story is that of a mighty, pious, divinely chosen and inspired King. He was known for his high morality even among his enemies, remaining just and fair towards a newly conquered people even when they are at his entire mercy 18:84-8. He was a monotheist selected and spiritually guided by God as well as facilitated in his worldly endeavors, battles, adventures and extensive journeys.

This was Cyrus the Great as described both in the HB and the Quran, sometimes with strikingly similar wording and imageries.

He was so revered by one among many of those nations that looked up to him, ie the Jews, that he is referred to as God's messiah Isa45. Despite his monumental achievements and conquests, he remained humble and attributed his

"being established in the land"

to God's mercy, just like the prophet King Solomon and other righteous and great humans attributed their wisdom, spiritual uprightness, powers and other worldly advantages to God. In fact Dhul Qarnayn's name itself, in the classical Arabic, encapsulates all these aforementionned lofty attributes. Dhul also means "full of" while Qarnayn stands for wisdom and power.

Historically, it is the Jews living on the outskirts of Mecca that instigated the Arab pagans to question the prophet on Dhul Qarnayn. It was a question meant at ensnaring the prophet, just as they had the habit of doing with previous prophets including Jesus as reported in the NT. He had to know the hidden symbolisms of Daniel 8's prophecy of the 2 horned ram and how they relate to the book of Isaiah that speaks of Cyrus.

In the prophecy, the 2 horns stand for the kingdoms of Persia and Media while the ram itself stands for the Medo-Persian kingdom effectively founded and united by Cyrus the Great. The Persian kingdom, younger and eventually greater, is symbolized by the higher horn that sprouted last, while Media, older and eventually lesser, is symbolized by the smaller and older horn. The kingdom of Media was the more ancient and prominent while Persia was of little account until Cyrus gave it its glory, conquering Media and maintaining the ascendant over it.

It is only natural then that Cyrus would be symbolically connected to the 2 horned ram. He founded and embodied the Medo-Persian kingdom greatness until the fall of his empire under his successor Darius III.

The Jews wanted to verify Muhammad's claim to prophethood in light of his knowledge of scriptures, they werent asking for random information about non-religious matters, or about an issue known to everyone and which could easily be replied to. More than merely repeating the apparent scriptural information about Cyrus as related in the books of Isaiah or Ezra, they needed confirmation that his knowledge was "advanced", covering subtle knowledge unknown to the common folk. The cryptic symbolism of the 2 horned ram, in reference to Cyrus, was to them the perfect test. In addition, Cyrus is never explicitly given the "two horned" epithet in scriptures which is all the more relevant in raising the difficulty level of their question to the prophet.

This incident is similar to the challenge by the rabbi ibn Salam to Muhammad, prior to his conversion to Islam. He asked him several questions as a falsification test of prophethood; among them, what would be the first meal in heaven, the first sign of the end of times and the reason a child resembles one of the parents. Ibn Salam was a leading scholar of the Jewish community and teacher. He knew what was accessible of scriptural and traditional knowledge to the layman and what was restricted. He therefore asked Muhammad questions which no layman could know, let alone an Arab unschooled in scriptural knowledge, except through revelation. Nor is there indication of any of the information requested circulating orally in the region and among the common folk. Nor were the source scriptures alluding to the themes in those answers translated into Arabic. As to the meal, the prophet replied it would be the caudate lobe of the liver of a sea creature, followed by the meat of a bull that grazed from the vegetation of heaven. The Talmud states in Bava Batra 75a-b that in the next world, the righteous will be rewarded with a meal consisting of shor ha-bor and livyatan – wild ox and leviathan, a sea creature, just as the prophet answered (Sahih-Muslim 315a). As to the notion of parental resemblance, it is similar to a passage in the Babylonian Talmud, Nidda 31a. The prophet's answers were comparable in their essence, not in their details, to what is found in Jewish tradition. From an Islamic perspective, the essential parallelisms between Islam and previous scriptures and traditions, are the truthfull parts which a third party independently revealed across time. As the prophet stated when he finished answering these and other questions 

"He asked me about such and such things of which I have had no knowledge till Allah gave me that". 

To further illustrate, a Jew once shared information with the Muslims while the prophet was present, and the latter recited from a Meccan sura (prior to Muslim-Jewish interaction) to demonstrate his defective knowledge 

"A (Jewish) Rabbi came to Allah's Messenger and he said, "O Muhammad! We learn that Allah will put all the heavens on one finger, and the earths on one finger, and the trees on one finger, and the water and the dust on one finger, and all the other created beings on one finger. Then He will say, 'I am the King.' Thereupon the Prophet smiled so that his pre-molar teeth became visible, and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi. Then Allah's Messenger recited: 'They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He, and High is He above all that they associate as partners with Him.' (39.67)".

The Quran plainly states, it will continuously provide the relevant information whenever an objection, similitude or question is put forward to the prophet 

25:33"And they do not come to you with a mathal/similitude except that We bring you the truth and the best explanation".

Returning to the hadith where the prophet was questioned, there are three possibilities to view the report;

- the incident really occured. The knowledgeable rabbi approached the prophet with inquiries he could not have known, as mentioned earlier.

- the information was in circulation to the extent that even non-Jews were familiar with it. Why didnt any of the numerous enemies of Islam, whether Jews, pagans or hypocrites expose this fact? Could the rabbi really be that oblivious of how common this knowledge he inquiried about was, to the point that the prophet's answers made him convert to Islam?

- the whole incident did not happen, making the background of Abdullah ibn Salam's conversion a mystery.

Cyrus was a messianic hero and extraordinary figure to them. In addition, these scattered and exiled Jews were in constant anticipation for a savior to come and bring them back to their position of honor among the nations, as almost achieved under Cyrus. Their chosen topic was certainly not random and was relevant to their psychological and scriptural context. The Quranic reply begins with

"i will recount upon you a remembrance of him".

The prophet was then inspired with an answer that was relevant to the questioners on 2 levels;

- it confirmed the apparent and hidden knowledge on Cyrus/Dhul Qarnayn in their scriptures

- it provided an affectionate reminder of some of that beloved figure's forgotten greatness, through worldly achievements connected to his spiritual worthiness

As a side note it was a common motif among kings and rulers in ancient times to be portrayed with 2 horns which symbolized power and rulership. It is the case with Cyrus who, besides the symbolism in Daniel's prophecy, is physically depicted as such in engravings.

As noted by Biblical scholars it was usual for persian kings to wear a decorated ram's head. Other ancient rulers were sometimes depicted with horns to symbolize their power, including Alexander the great who himself adopted the horns from the god Zeus-Ammon. He can be seen on a few marginal coin issues, among the vast variety of Alexander coins, from profile, with free flowing hair, with a small horn curling around his ear and his proper name stamped on. This can hardly be used as evidence for the unproven assertion that the Arabs nicknamed Alexander "two horned" prior to the revelation of sura kahf.

Throughout time, the exegetes and story tellers have proposed a vast range of potential candidates among the historical figures known to them, as possible references to the Quranic Dhul Qarnayn. Some have even suggested he was an angel.

Islam critiqued questions Quranic style; contradictory repetitions?

In answer to the video "Corruption: Third Response and "Misquoting Allah"

The harmonious, consistent repetitions of various topics in the Quran are primarly meant to stress some important pillars of belief

25:50"And certainly We have repeated this to them that they may be mindful, but the greater number of men do not consent to aught except denying".

The first objective of that literary feature is thus enhancing man's remembrance of Allah 39:23. It also is a way of explaining itself

17:41"We have explained (things) in various (ways) in this Quran".

According to the Quran therefore, its master exegetist is none but the Book itself, explaining itself 75:19,16:89. The Prophet is its second exegetist and interpreter 3:164,16:44,62:2. The Quran being primarily self-explanatory establishes from the onset 2 conditions for its proper understanding; the importance of considering the context of a verse and the fact that the Book is one integral whole; every verse and sentence has an intimate bearing on other verses and sentences, all of them clarifying and amplifying one another. Consequently, its real meaning can be grasped only if we correlate every one of its statements with what has been stated elsewhere in a different context. A full picture of its ideas can be appreciated by means of cross-references.

Allah warns the prophet, in the context of exposing the followers of previous scriptures for their transgressions, not to withhold anything of what he is commanded to convey, or else it would be as if he did not convey the entirety of the message from beginning to end 

5:67"O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people". 

This holistic approach was considered by the earliest Quran scholars, down to the contemporary ones. This means the Quran and its meaning isnt locked to the common man's comprehension, provided it is effectively pondered upon. 

Al-Tabari for example states that the Quran has 3 kinds of material: that which is only known to God, but irrelevant to hermeneutics, that which only the Prophet could explain, but extremely marginal, and that which any knowledgeable person of Arabic language can explain, practically all of the Quran. Al-Tabari included a chapter even refuting the position of those who claimed that only the Prophet can interpret the Quran. As a side note, the tafsir section in Bukhari includes many interpretations without isnad, and that are not even those of Muhammad, his Companions, or his Followers.

Some Quranic passages are repeated word for word, in the case of prayers or general pillars of faith but in story telling, the repetitions are rarely if ever the same. This is because in the Quran when it comes to reminding of past narratives and anectodes, the objective isnt dry storytelling and genealogies as in most of the Bible where one can easily and quickly lose track of names, places and other details. 

These little details, if omitted wouldn't make humanity miss out on anything in terms of guidance, and in fact confuse the reader and distract his attention to trivial matters. The Quran is not a historical record or dry, impartial document: it is argumentative and impactful to get people to believe and actively reform themselves and their environement. Its powerful statements are in an intellectual, spiritual and emotional language that every culture across time and space can appreciate. 

The Quran's objective isnt story telling, but "message telling" and maximizing its audience's attention to the precept(s) of the story. Muslims will not be asked on the Day of Judgment the details of the people of the cave or how Noah's flood occured, how many generations passed between a person and another, the names in a genealogy or whether they memorized the names of people in the Quran. They will be questioned as to how they responded to the lessons from the different incidents and stories related in the Quran. 

Thus to focus on the message, the Quran injects the passage of a well-known story, whenever the larger context a sura requires it. And when it does so, it only puts the details of that story that are relevant to that specific context. That is why one sees variations in repetitions, but never contradictions. The only exception to that style of narrative is the story of the prophet Joseph/Yusuf which takes the form of a beginning to end narrative in one place, and a highly eloquent, intricate one at that. 

Those unable to apreciate that Quranic style speak of contradictory, or incomplete repetitions. This is because first and foremost they approach the Quranic text with the above Biblical paradigm in mind; the Quran, instead of being read on its own is seen as a garbled version of multiple Judeo-Christian sources. If, however, the text is approached according to its own thematic unities, its lack of historical detail and absence of chronological order become unproblematic. And this is the prevalent approach among western scholarship nowadays. The second common problem for those reading the text occurs when they are unable to connect the different repetitions properly among one another and fail to grasp the manner in which each repetition fits in the context of a particular sura. This a side note isnt circular reasoning as it doesnt presume the notion of textual coherence. It is textual coherence that objectively establishes itself, through consistent repetitions, recurrence of similar themes and notions in different contexts. These repetitions always retain a core meaning, and are always thematically correlated with similar passages in other suras, like conversations and dialogues between the suras.

The brilliant pakistani scholar Islahi called the recurrence of themes in several suras "complementarity".

A topic which appears at a place reappears in another background and context where the initially hidden meaning becomes quite apparent because the meaning is suited to be developped in that particular context. Teachings, precepts, stories or anecdotes are mentioned in various styles and with different aspects in different contexts and in numerous backgrounds so that if at one place a reader is not fully able to understand something, he can grasp it fully at another place, and if at one place an argument is not fully appreciated, he can comprehend it in the background of a different context. If an element within a story is only meaningful in a specific context, and that in the course of revelation, that specific context does not reappear in a manner so as to necessitate the repetition of that element from within the story, then the element or detail is omitted. 

Sometimes an incident is repeated tersely or partly in order to remind the audience and reader of the overall message that is relevant to a particular context, without recalling it of every precise details. Sometimes an incident is repeated tersely or partly in order to remind the audience and/or reader of the overall message that is relevant to a particular context, without recalling it of every precise details. 

Sometimes a story is repeated by omitting some previously mentionned details in order to reveal some new elements, this way keeping the story brief and to the point, without communicating too much information at once. When it relates the same event at different places it sometimes quotes different dialogues between different protagonists hence the variation in wordings. As also said, this variation is also due to the importance of giving different angles to the same dialogue or incident that is relevant to the context within the sura. Sometimes the characters might also repeat themselves slightly differently from amazement or in the case of messengers quoted with variations it is because during their career they repeated themselves obviously differently at different times.

The Quran, using these literary devices and many others, explains itself

7:58"As such we manage the signs to people who are grateful"  

54:22"And certainly We have made the Quran easy for remembrance, but is there anyone who will mind?".

Another purpose of this style being to strengthen the Prophet in the face of various forms of denial and obstinacy from his opponents at different times. The form of the story would echo a situation similar to that which the Prophet was facing.

Some truths are repeated to emphasize their importance and fix them in the minds of the believers. Things such as the oneness of God, repeated more than 10 times in certain pages, or the unavoidable day of resurrection etc. These are things that even if repeated a million times, it still would not be a waste of time or words. The Quran constantly draws attention to those matters both explicitly or allusively because they are realities like the air we breath, which we always need and that require renewal, this way their reiterations becomes a Quranic grace.

What is remarkable from a linguistic perspective is that the Quran was uttered publicly, live and as a speech, which prevents any type of editing and yet it forms one incredibly well knit whole, from verse to verse, paragraph to pararaph, sura to sura. If we take the example of sura baqara, the longest of all and revealed over the course of 10 years while other suras were being simultaneously revealed, it is structured in an interconnected manner allowing it to be thematically structured in many different ways. 

This is a vast field of Quranic studies, with many sub-branches, studied by both Muslims and non-Muslim scholars; the interconnection between suras, passages, verses, words and even letters and how the whole thing remarkably fits together. The idea of the Quran being a dull, boring or incomprehensible repetitive book is a discredited proposition, not only by the scholars of Islam all throughout their exegetical works spanning centuries, but also more recently by non-Muslims who have been doing, and keep on doing, a remarkable job at unveiling the intricate connections of the text, from verse to another, paragraph to paragraph and sura to sura. See Norman Brown's work on sura 18 for instance. That weak assertion is only still circulating among uneducated critics of Islam, and missionaries. For most of modern Islamicists, the Quran has to be approached as a text on its own, with its own internal coherence to be properly understood. So long as explanations to its passages are sought from the perspective of its alleged, elusive and countless proposed sources, the Quran will remain an obscure book for those approaching it.

Here is just one of the thematical structuring of sura Baqara, in a symetrical construction called ring structure;

- 1st subject from v1-20 faith vs unbelief/Last subject v285-6 dua about belief-hypocrisy-disbelief.

- 2nd subject from v21-39 God's creation and knowledge/2nd subject from down God's creation and knowledge v254-284

- 3rd topic v40-103 the Israelites receive the law/3rd subject from down from down about the laws given to Muslims v178-253

- 4th subject Ibrahim faces tests v104-141/4th one from down Ibrahim's nation, the Ishmaelites are tested v153-177

- middle section culminates with the new direction of prayer, the Kaaba symbolizing that new nation and its new law

And all this symetrical ring structure leads to the statement of the Muslims having been made the ummatan wasata/balanced nation, a statement located in the center of a sura composed of 286 verses, at exactly verse 143. 

Every single Quranic sura on its own forms, like baqara, a cohesive argument.

Also, because many of its passages can be read through the lens of another passage from within the sura, other analysts have approached its structuring in a pericope. For example, the story of Adam in sura Baqara pericopes throughout the sura. The Israelites were told to enter a town and enjoy its sustenance v58 similarily to the instructions previously given to Adam and his spouse upon entering the garden v35. But just as Adam and his spouse werent content with what they were given, the Israelites began grumbling for the sustenance they had in captivity v61. And just as Adam and his spouse found their Lord forgiving once they repented, some of the Israelites were eventually forgiven for their worshipping the calf and desisting prior to Moses' return v54.

Islam critiqued explores an old incident; Allah confronts Iblis?

In answer to the video "Corruption: Third Response and "Misquoting Allah"

As said above, the repetitions in the Quran do not contradict one another, but instead complement and elaborate on different facets that are relevant to the direct context in which the story is recounted. If we merge the different accounts of Iblis for example, we get a complete picture of what occured. As he was about to leave, in his hatred for the human race that caused his loss of glory, he requested a time of respite until the day of resurrection to show God that He was mistaken in honoring this new creation, and the request was granted

7:14-15,38:79-81,15:36-8,17:62"Tell me, is this he whom Thou hast honored above me? If Thou shouldst respite me to the day of resurrection, I will most certainly cause his progeny to perish except a few".

Seeing that his demand was accepted, Iblis now laid out his detailed plan. He will lie in wait on the straight path, ensnaring those upon it from every possible angle, making their evil deeds alluring to them, all of them except God's purified servants 7:16-17,15:39-40,38:82-3. When he had finished stating his intentions, God, Who had previously demonstrated mankind's potential and Who created it with the inner ability to rise spiritualy, accepted, stating that his authority will be limited to those who follow him of the deviators, not His servants, and that hell will be his abode and that of those who follow him while those that remain God-conscious will enter the secure and pleasurable dwelling place for eternity 38:84-5,15:41-8.

The matter was now closed, God definately marked Iblis as one of lowly character and ordered him out once more and violently, augmenting the tone of His address while summing up the area of authority granted to him, the consequences for those he might succesfully deceive, and restricted means at his disposal for doing so

7:18"Get out of her, despised, driven away; whoever of them will follow you, I will certainly fill hell with you all"  

17:63-5"And beguile whomsoever of them you can with your voice, and collect against them your forces riding and on foot, and share with them in wealth and children, and hold out promises to them; and the Shaitan makes not promises to them but to deceive. Surely (as for) My servants, you have no authority over them; and your Lord is sufficient as a Protector".

On the day of Judgement, Iblis will recognize exactly that, he had no autority other than within the area granted to him by God, ie whispering, as a means of attracting into him the deviators

14:22"Surely Allah promised you the promise of truth, and I gave you promises, then failed to keep them to you, and I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you obeyed me, therefore do not blame me but blame yourselves: I cannot be your aider (now) nor can you be my aiders; surely I disbelieved in your associating me with Allah before; surely it is the unjust that shall have the painful punishment."