These articles answer Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Suicidal Attempts"
Friday, November 20, 2020
Sam Shamoun "Sunni Islam’s Shahadah: The Confession of Lying Hypocrites"
The Quran and the traditions put great emphasis on the eminence of the prophets as epitomizing spiritual uprightness, all the while making sure that no ambiguity exists as to their servitude to the One God worthy of worship.
Nothing encapsulates that notion more than the shahada which places God as the only entity worthy of worship, side by side with Muhammad who is nothing but His messenger.
The Quran requires from the prophet in turn, to declare belief in God and the past prophets equally 2:285. The Shahada is a testimony in which the fundamental principles that concentrate all tenets of the Book are mentioned. It isnt meant at listing all the tenets of Islam, but at mentioning the aspects that encapsulate them most. This is very similar to the Biblical notion of the "10 sayings", erroneously rendered 10 "commandments" in Christian Bibles. These 10 sayings encapsulate the entire 613 mosaic commandments revealed at Sinai for the Jewish people. In the case of the shahada, the fundamental tenets mentioned are; belief in only one entity worthy of worship, Allah, and obedience to His messenger Muhammad. The first part stresses uncompromising monotheism. That part is stated in the negative rather than the positive. This is because the true challenge is not to believe in a single creator but to cleanse oneself of partnering with Him, whether it is another deity, worldly authority, or personal desire. The second part of the shahada stresses belief in all that was brought by that divinely appointed human being, as well as adherence to the community established through him. If these 2 components are understood and accepted, one has uttered the complete testimony to Islam.
Of course a hypocrite or liar can testify outwardly without inner conviction 49:14-17,63:1. Their disregard and lowly opinion for that which they claim belief in, does not however diminish anything of its truth and value so long as God is testifying to the truth. Even if the most noble witnesses attest to the truth of those principles, God remains the supreme and most valuable witness, because He is the highest standard of Truth
4:166"But Allah bears witness by what He has revealed to you that He has revealed it with His knowledge, and the angels bear witness (also); and Allah is sufficient as a witness".
The Quran hardly has a page which does not address the central religious issue of striving in God's way through trials of ease and hardship, where one will have to assert his will freely and choose to act within the limits of Allah. This hard struggle will go on, uninterrupted until the day where all will return to Him 84:6 and the road to the highest places is sometimes compared to an uphill climb 90:4-18, or as Jesus says to a tight path leading to a narrow door Matt7:13-14. This verse 90:4 does not speak of evil or of a wicked human nature, it is referring to the difficulties that will come in man's life as an inevitable consequence of him being a volitional creature, as stated in the following verses
90:8-10"Have We not given him two eyes, And a tongue and two lips, And pointed out to him the two conspicuous ways?"
Elsewhere the Quran eloquently uses the image of life being a vast ocean upon which man is constantly trying to remain afloat, and the manner to do so is given as spiritual strengthening through righteous deeds
73:1-10,29:2-3"Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried? And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars".
This purification process is necessary for a soul's success in the Hereafter 87:14. The success will only be possible when one, out of conviction stands before God in an attitude called ihsan
4:125"And who has a better religion than he who submits himself entirely(in ihsan) to Allah? And he is the doer of good (to others) and follows the faith of Ibrahim, the upright one".
This is the purest definition of Islam -willful servitude to God- and no other way is acceptable to Him. Mere declaration isnt enough, one must be able to withstand the requirements of that obedience despite the moments of hardship and ampleness, until his last breath 3:102. The key to that successful end is to have the quality of sabr/steadfastness and constancy, epitomised by the greatest prophets and the manner in which they endured the trials of life while maintaining spiritual uprightness in words, intentions and deeds not once, but throughout their lives, striving to maintain it as a prominent spiritual trait 16:127,13:28.
The importance of being entirely submitted to God is emphasized in past scriptures too 2Chron30:8,Job22:21. After the prophet Muhammad, submission to God entailed accepting His revelations and laws which have reached their ultimate form with the Quran. Of course some may hypocritically submit without sincere belief and the Quran repeatedly speaks of, and exposes this behaviour
49:14"The dwellers of the desert say: We believe. Say: You do not believe but say, We submit; and faith has not yet entered into your hearts..".
The prophet said
"Faith/iman consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; amongst them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith."
The early Muslims in particular who were threatened by the phenomenon of religious hypocrisy, distinguished between one that enters Islam and one that implements it with sincerity
"I asked, "O Allah's Messenger! Why have you left that person? By Allah I regard him as a faithful believer." The Prophet commented: "Or merely a Muslim."
Iman literally means "to feel secure". It entails complete trust, in a religious context, to God besides Whom there is no protector. The word is most appropriate considering the objective of the religion, which is to build a relationship between the individual and his Creator. Through pondering on the signs surrounding the individual, external and internal, as well as the divine revelation, one progressively increases in iman 4:136,47:17,48:4 until a level of submission is reached that entails a detailed and entire dedication of one's life to that new system
43:69,2:208"O you who believe/alatheena amanu, enter into submission one and all".
Iman and that ultimate level of submission therefore express themselves through one's deeds
49:15,2:25"And give glad tidings unto those who believe and do good works; that theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow" 14:31"Say to My servants who believe/alatheena amanu that they should keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them secretly and openly before the coming of the day in which there shall be no bartering nor mutual befriending".
Allah also describes the high status of Muhammad and his companions, and then ends 48:29 with
"Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward".
The phrase "among them" is highly significant and shows that even among these high ranked people, the honour and respect with Allah depends on real, concrete deeds, and most of all steadfastness and constancy on the straight path
16:110"Definitely, your Lord unto those who have migrated after being persecuted, then they struggled and patiently persevered; verily your Lord, after that, is forgiving Merciful"3:136"As for these, their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens beneath which rivers flow; therein they will abide forever. How blissful will the reward of (such) workers/aamilin be!".
The basic principle that the spiritual felicity does not depend on name or nomenclature, that no one can get honour with Allah except by true faith in, and total servitude to Him throughout one's life is reiterated many times
20:112,33:29,2:112"whoever submits his self entirely to Allah and he is the doer of good, he has his reward with his Lord".
The submission to Allah is therefore the merging of the correct belief, with the correct deeds
29:7,35:10"To Him do ascend the good words; and the good deeds, lift them up".
The shahada itself is not found mentioned in a single Quranic verse. But the repeated axiom throughout the Book of what constitutes correct faith is belief in Allah and unconditional obedience to His messenger. Although one is free to add any other tenet within the testimony, like the prophethood of a specific individual such as Jesus or Noah, or belief in the previous books, or the entities of the unseen such as the angels, the testimony of faith would remain incomplete if belief in Muhammad's prophethood isnt expressed. It would still leave many principles of the Book as unattested for. As well it would give the ambiguity that one has not fully adhered to the community established by Muhammad, or that Muhammad is a true prophet. On the other hand to testify to Muhammad's divine appointment, automatically entails belief in all that is propounded in the message he brought, which includes every single principle and tennet of the Book, indiscriminate honoring of all of God's prophets of whom Muhammad is part of, as well as adherence to the Islamic community. That is why one may only add specific testimonies of faith once the 2 main components have been uttered and accepted. Some may choose adding an aspect in relation to a previous belief system, such as Jesus being nothing but a prophet of God so as to stress one's dissociation from trinitarian Christianity, as is typically done by a former Christian.
In every day speak Muslims very often utter one or another aspect of the shahada in an isolated manner. A Muslim will often express that God is the only deity worthy of worship in a discussion, or that Muhammad is the messenger of God. It is even seen in all types of arts and engravings, past and present. This does not mean that a partial or incomplete shahada is being expressed. Nothing in any of those art works hint at or claim to be declarations of faith.
Jesus taught his followers the testimony of faith similar to the Muslim shahada
Jn17:3"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent".Once again, 2 basic components for a clear testimony of faith, uncompromising monotheism on one side and adherence to a community established by a divinely appointed human being, distinct from the One God who sent him. That community must accept Jesus' leadership only, reorienting their past emotional and spiritual affiliations for new norms they are expected to live by
Lk14:26"If any man comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple".The Quran, when referring to the most honourable experiences of the prophet still calls him a slave, such as in the context of his chosenness, possessor of a miracle and taken on the israa and miraj 2:23,17:1,18:1. Therefore the Quran continuously stresses the prophet Muhammad being a slave of Allah like any Muslims 7:194, not possessing the keys of the unseen except what Allah granted him 7:188 and him being nothing but a warner and giver of glad tidings.
The issue of aqeedah/aqida is one that developed between the 8th-10th century by the likes of ibn Hanbal, abu Hasan al Ashari, al Shafi'i, al Maturidi or al Ghazali. These are the schools that have survived within sunni Islam. However, historically there have existed many more schools than these. Even today, there are minority schools within Sunni Islam, as well as major schools of thought outside of Sunni Islam. The scholars who formulated their aqeedah, felt the need to answer questions raised by new adherents to Islam with different cultural backgrounds and by non-Muslim critics, as the empire spread far beyond Arabia. A aqida or creed, takes the well established aspects of belief/iman, as stated in the Quran 2:177,4:136 such as God's oneness, resurrection, angels, books and prophets, and expounds upon each aspect in details. Sunnis have included qadar/predestination as a sixth point in light of the hadith of Gabriel
"Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Prophet) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects".
Having the correct aqeedah consists for a large part of practicing Tawhid. Tawhid means Allah is One in His Lordship and no one has the power over the creation but Him. He is One in the right to be worshipped. He has Names and Attributes unique to Him. The prophet and the companions did not have to establish detailed creeds as they did not have to contend with the questions and doubts raised after their time. Not a single scholar or adherent to a particular creed negates those points, from Sunni to Shia. So, although the aqeedah of the prophet and the companion was very concise, the later scholars of Islam developed extremely detailed formulation of it. A Aqeedah became more like a lengthy argumentation in light of a particular scholar's philosophical, intellectual, vocabulary tools at hand. The vast majority of the points discussed in a aqeeda do not explicitly go back to the prophet or the companions, but are the result of a particular scholar's deductions, hence the divergences in aqeedas. One therefore doesnt need to agree on every single point of a scholar's articulation of the pillars of belief, if one is able to show that the point one disagrees with doesnt necessarily follow the premise, just as scholars disagreed among themselves on those details. The fact is throughout the centuries there were nuances on the fine points of aqeeda among scholars of the same school. The detailed articulations of the pillars of belief did not lead any Muslim group to deviate from worshiping one entity, to several, as happened to Christianity. Christians went as far in the development of their creeds that they had to invent new vocabulary, including the notion of "persons" to mask the reality of the tri-theism they fell into. The divergences between schools pertain, among other things to whether the descriptions of certain of God's attributes likes eyes and hands, should they be understood literally, metaphorically or one of the two depending on context and language? Does qadar cause human deeds directly by affecting human will, indirectly by causing freewill to exist or sometimes one or the other depending on context? As to the hadith on the 72 sects, the part stating that only 1 will be admitted to heaven is highly controversial in its isnad and even contradicts the plain meaning of many Quranic passages about the resurrection and judgement, where each individual will be raised alone to account for his own beliefs and actions.
Aqeeda differences are nothing like the differences in creeds within the Christian Church tradition for instance, where differences affect the nature of God, the hierarchy of the godhead, human nature, or the hereafter. For example does the holy spirit issue from the father or from both the father and son (who was "begotten" by the father)? What is the relation of humans with divine grace, do Christians become partakers or not of the divine nature? Will the dead go through a purgatory in the afterlife? Is sin a hereditary condition making all humans totally depraved, and that initiated with Adam or did his descendants inherit the state of mortality?
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Sam Shamoun "Islam: The Religion of Perfect Submission to Muhammad"
These articles answer Sam Shamoun "Islam: The Religion of Perfect Submission to Muhammad"
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad: An Example of Moral Corruption and Sexual Deviancy"
The articles below answer the objections of Sam Shamoun "Muhammad: An Example of Moral Corruption and Sexual Deviancy"
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Neglect and Disdain for the Poor and Ill"
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 on an equal footing with the prophet's followers who came from a wide variety of backgrounds. 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
18:28,6:52"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".
At no point however did the prophet do so. Neither do any of those verses hint at him wanting to. These type of verses of which the Quran abounds, admonish Muslims of all times through their prophet in case they are confronted to a similar situation. The commentators have given several different contextual reasons for the revelation of these verses, and all of them having to do with the elite of Mecca coming to him at different times asking for him to dissociate momentarily from his poor followers so that they might sit and listen to his message. In some contexts he is described as internally desiring to do so but was prevented by the descent of revelation upon him. In other contexts he is shown as verbally agreeing with the Meccans until Jibril stopped him. Somewhere else it is Umar who insisted on him doing so just so it can be established whether the Meccans were sincere in their quest for the truth, but later Umar repented when revelation came.
The bottom line to all these stories is that the prophet never turned down his poor assemblies. We see this kind of exegisis in many cases, especially as regards the concept of "occasion of revelation". The companions used to describe the reasons for revelation of the verses in form of stories or events that had occurred during the prophet's time, which are somewhat relevant to the verses without them actually having any connection to the particular story or stories. The companions many times did so while conjecturing on what they imagined the prophet was thinking within himself on those particular occasions, so as to better fit the verses.
Similar story retrospectively applied to the Quran is that of the prophet, once being annoyed (internally, without expressing it verbally) as he was inadvertendly interrupted by a blind man of low social status that approached him for consultation while he was in a dialogue with some influential people 80:1-10.
The prophet was a man of noble character, uninterested in materialistic pursuits as reflected both in the Quran and the traditions, as observed by both his friends and foes
68:4"And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality".
The opening passage of sura abasa, if addressed to the prophet, reveals several things. Firstly, nothing is said of the social level of any of the persons alluded to. Secondly, the high standard of morality required of him as a divine envoy is unlike that of a normal human being; simply frowning from being interrupted, which anyone would usually find annoying, but not even frowning at the person causing the interruption nor did the concerned person notice the frowning, is considered unbefitting of a prophet of God. As noted, the facial expression of the prophet was hardly noticable, much less to the blind person. Which interest did the prophet have in exposing himself to his followers as even mildly, by the most far fetched standards of behavior, as having been inconsiderate, if the incident was known only to him? Also, how would this self-rebuke do anything to enhance his credibility to his detractors, had it been his purpose by integrating it into the Quran, considering that they didnt believe in his prophethood in the first place? Just as they said he was making up revelation before, they would now say he was passing off this rebuke as divinely inspired to look more credible.
The fact is, the Quran was not sent to change the minds of those that werent open to even considering its arguments. It repeatedly tells the prophet to turn away from them after effectively transmitting the warnings. The same observation could be said of other instances that could have remained unknown to the audience, but that the Quran brings to light at the risk of exposing the prophet to the people's antagonizm.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments" (3)
The miraculous victory of Badr greatly troubled the idolators and the Jews of Medina. They felt that their position was now degenerating into one of weakness and isolation. Only 2 years after his migration, the Prophet of God had managed to brake the traditional pattern of power distribution in the desert. The enemies of Islam would meet clandestinely and encourage the composition and recitation of divisive poetry.
Ka'ab ibn Ashraf, a Jewish chieftain of Banu Nadhir, was a poet of considerable fame and he used to recite in the gatherings fiery poems inciting the people to rise up against Islam. This was a clear breeching of the Medina covenant of peace with the Muslims, non partisanship which eachother's enemies. ibn Ashraf's particularity as compared to the other non Muslims and hypocrites that secretly disliked Islam and conspired against it, is that he openly joined the Meccan ranks with whom the community was at war, becoming a propaganda tool that composed eulogies mourning the Meccan chiefs slain in the battle of Badr and defamed Muslim women.
The closest one can come to the kind of impact this kind of poetry had in Arabian tribal life in those days, is to remember the role propaganda played during the world wars of the 20th century, more particularly the 2nd one. The chief propagandists among the Nazis were regarded as top priority targets by Western authorities. The issue here is thus not that of low-level disparaging comments and mockeries, rather the kind of criticism with deadly ramifications. The Quran and hadith contain many instances of the prophet and the Muslims being the targets of mockery and ridicule, both in times of political weakness and strength, yet neither responded in kind nor retaliated violently. The Quran for instance in sura tawba relates how the Medina hypocrites would engage in injurious talk about the prophet, and this at a time where the Muslim community had become powerful. The only response they got from the prophet was that he socially ostracized them, refusing their charity donations, and leaving their fate to Allah in the Hereafter
9:66"If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals".
As to Kaab, his animosity was such that it is said the verse 4:51 speaking of Jews believing in idols alludes to him, when he accompanied a delegation from Medina to Mecca in search of an alliance against the Muslims, and publicly bowed to the idols to reassure the suspecting Quraysh
"Your are people of Scripture and Muhammad has a Scripture and we are not completely sure that this is a scheme that you devised. So if you want us to go along with you, you have to prostrate to these two idols and believe in them".
But being a coward he never attended the battles himself, preferring to plot and incite behind closed doors. His role in galvanizing the Quraysh prior to the battle of Uhud is well known, his wife herself is reported to have warned him that his life was at threat because of his actions. Although the prophet said that Kaab was deserving of being put to death since he should be treated as a combatant, he nevertheless did not plan the execution. It is to be noted that any modern government seeking to preserve the survival of its people in times of war, would look to target specific opponents whose death would have a more significant impact in the long-run in terms of avoiding further bloodshed.
He was thus incited out of his hiding place and killed, which succesfully prevented an all out war with the Bani Nadir. Other opinions say his assassination occured after the battle of Uhud in response to an attempted murder of the prophet.
Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments"
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments" (2)
Mutah is a form of marriage where the time period is previously agreed upon by both parties. This practice was allowed, some jurist argue temporarily and others that that it is still valid. It is a commitment entailing rights and duties on both consenting parties, as well as clear restrictions. This includes, according to the law schools that still allow it, child support, or the observance of idda by the woman prior to entering into any type of relationship with another person.
This practically destroys the rampant prostitution industry. A prostitute cannot wait for weeks and months between each client. This kind of contract between 2 consenting parties can only be motivated by a mutual desire for physical/emotional affection, not economical considerations. Of course a woman might encounter financial difficulties and be tempted to use a temporary marriage contract to get support from a husband for given time. This then would be similar to a marriage of interest, where true intentions are hidden, and which the woman can end through divorce once her goal is attained. Except that with mutah the timeframe is clearly stipulated, leaving no room for deception. A man will enter into that union, knowing his wife is primarily interested in financial security for a given time. Again, it is a process the woman cannot repeat except 3 menstrual cycles after the end of her marriage. One may come back saying that men arent bound by the iddah, which opens the way for them to have successive and frequent mutah unions. One could of course always find a way to abuse the system, applying it against its spirit whether it is mutah or any other divine directive.
In practice this is only possible in a society that is careless of its sexual morality and the well being of its people. Just as none will marry its daughters to whomsoever desires it, none will accept them doing mutah with the first person that comes. Neither would one accept them going with a serial abuser of marriages/divorces, similarily none would like them being with a serial abuser of mutah. There is no place for frivolity in such unions. The fact is, there are bound to be situations, such as during long travels or exiles, where men and women, married or not, will find themselves needing physical/emotional contact for a time. This was particularily the case during the tumultous years of wars, exiles, uprooting of the early Muslims. Muslim warriors who many times had not seen their wives left behind prior to their migration to Medina, in addition were encamping for weeks in preparation of, and during warfare, and that had now under their wing female captives were allowed to seek by common accord this type of temporary marriage. When that time expires, the 2 are free to part ways or enter into a formal marriage contract.
As appears from the ahadith, one doesnt go to the extent of willing to self-castrate so as to refrain from sex, if the last contact with one's wife was recent
"We used to participate in the holy wars carried on by the Prophet and we had no women (wives) with us. So we said (to the Prophet). “Shall we castrate ourselves?” But the Prophet forbade us to do that and thenceforth he allowed us to marry a woman (temporarily) by giving her even a garment".
The prophet is reported to have recited 5:87 in relation to that ordinance on temporary marriage. The verse warns against transgression in one's enjoyment of the lawful things. The Muslim soldiers didnt have free rein in enjoying sexual contact with their captives. They had to do so, as stated earlier, by way of mutual agreement. The verse 5:87 was recited, but not revealed on that occasion. It was used in other instances to demonstrate a point to the believers. For example with Bilal and Uthman ibn Mazuun who had adopted ascetic lifestyles. The prophet disapproved and told them not to be overzealous in religion to the extent of denying themselves the lawful pleasures of life.
It is easy to speak abstractly of the notion of sexual restraint in all situations when practically, without regulation as in mutah, these situations lead to corrupting both the individual and the society. Men and women who cannot marry for all sorts of personal, circumstancial reasons, or those that want to marry but prefer knowing the future partner intimately first before taking the big leap, will eventually succomb to their desire after some time. Mutah provides regulation in case both are in agreement. Mutah can never be forced on anyone.
The Quran does not explicitly mention the practice, although the general wording in 4:24 can be interpreted as allowing it. Al-Tabari cites different early opinions while concluding himself that it is now impermissible. The verse uses istimtaatum, which can be used for any type of enjoyable relationship, whether permanent or temporary, as well as in contexts unrelated to marriages 46:20. The case that the verse still covers temporary marriages can be seen by the fact that the prophet allowed then disallowed mutah twice in his lifetime (at Khaybar then at conquest of Mecca). This is because there are situations to which it applies and others where it doesnt, as shown earlier. The Muslims relied on the prophet's judgement
"The Messenger of Allah gave permission for Mut'ah, so I and another man went to a woman from Bani 'Amir and offered ourselves to her (for Mut'ah). She said: 'What will you give me?' I said: 'My Rida' (upper garment).' My companion also said: 'My Rida'.' My companion's Rida' was finer than mine, but I was younger than him. When she looked at my companion's Rida' she liked it, but when she looked at me, she liked me. Then she said: 'You and your Rida' are sufficient for me.' I stayed with her for three (days), then the Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever has any of these women whom he married temporarily should let them go".
One therefore can understand why ibn Abbas stuck to the exegetical reading of the verse
4:24"Then as to those whom you profit by (for an appointed time) give them their dowries as is due".
He might have understood the prophet's last ban as circumstantial like the first, while the majority of the companions thought the last ban was permanent.
As a side note, the word mutah is also used in the context of hajj, called hajj altamattu'/mutah of hajj. It allows one to perform umrah (the lesser pilgrimmage) and the complete hajj on the same trip. Some Muslims after the prophet's death were not sure of the permission and thus went to several close companions for inquiry
"Muslim al-Qurri reported: I asked Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) about Tamattu’ in Hajj and he permitted it, whereas Ibn Zubair had forbidden it. He (Ibn ‘Abbas) said: This is the mother of Ibn Zubair who states that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) had permitted it, so you better go to her and ask her about it. He (Muslim al-Qurri said): So we went to her and she was a bulky blind lady and she said: Verily Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) permitted it".
This complete version of the hadith shows what Asma meant when she confirmed the practice of the mutah of women as is found in the shorter version of the hadith in Musnad Abi Dawud.
Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments"
Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments" (1)
The Quran relates how the ISraelites repeatedly asked to see God. This eagerness, described in their own books, to literally see God reflects in the crude and primitive anthropomorphic expressions that abound in the Hebrew writings. At times it would ironically appear that what we have in front of us is man creating God in his own image, likeness and form rather than the other way around Gen1:26.
God for example would speak face to face with Moses Ex33:11,Numbers12:6-8. But knowing the difficulty and incompatibility of promoting monotheism while at the same time having a God incarnate, Jewish scribes have injected the text with many explicit passages in light of which one can interpret the ambiguous ones so as to safeguard the notion of pure monotheism. So although Moses spoke to God face to face, in reality no one can see God's Face Ex33:20, not even Moses who had to be covered and stand away until God passed so he could have a glimpse of God's "back" Ex33:22-23. "panim el panim", which literally means 'face-to-face' becomes an idiom to convey the exclusive closeness and intimate relation Moses had with God with whom he communicated directly, not through dreams, visions or through an angel as He did with all other Israelite prophets.
With those explicit axioms in mind, one can begin understanding why God had to appear to the Israelites through a dark cloud Ex19:9. The purpose was to strengthen the Israelites' trust in Moses by overawing them with this experience
Ex20:20"in order that His awe shall be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin".
The Torah reports the traumatic experience
Ex19:16"thunder claps and lightning flashes, and a thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very powerful blast of a shofar, and the entire nation that was in the camp shuddered".
The phenomenon of God manifesting Himself in this world clearly is in a non-incarnate sense, rather through actions and at most, dramatic occurences. This dreadful "representation" of God began to instruct the terrified Israelites. But they could not bare seeing and hearing God. Had they be seeing a human incarnation of God, they wouldnt have had any problem. Instead they begged Moses to be their sole intermediary with God, fearing that if the manifestation continued, they would die Ex20:15-21,Deut4:12-13,5:1-5,23-27.
The fear of death for seeing God was apparently deeply instilled into the hearts of the pious Israelities, who knew by experience what had befallen their forefathers who had even so much as asked for it. Gideon thought he would die simply for having seen an angelic messenger in human form Judges6:22-3. Same for Samson's father Judges13:21-22.
Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Muhammad and the Ten Commandments"
Sam Shamoun "Quran’s Multiple Creators: More Proof of Islam’s Triadic Deity"
During Jesus' prophetic mission, the Israelites to whom he was preaching the return to the straight path kept rejecting him, despite the miracles he performed. Some of these miracles the Quran mentions 3:46,49,5:110-114,19:28-34, while the NT ommits
Jn20:30"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book"
Jn21:25"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written".
The Quran makes it clear, these miracles of Jesus, bringing the dead to life among other things, would not have been possible without God's license. They were performed with the "ithn" of Allah 3:49 which means with His knowledge and approval. Jesus was given whatever abilities he had by God, as a favor 5:110. In fact the Quran connects all the miracles that marked Jesus life, with Allah's permission, as signs meant to distinguish both Jesus and his mother 5:110. God this way defeated in His final revelation and until the resurrection, the slanderous talk of some among Mary's contemporaries and those that followed, who wanted to put a stain on her and abase her. Jesus as well as his mother were chosen to be made jointly, "A" single sign of the power of the Maker and Creator over all things 23:50,21:91. With every miracle Jesus performed by God's permission, it had the double effect of elevating Mary against the slanderers and strengthening Jesus' mission.
But again, these miracles, Jesus did not obtain them on his own and neither could express them except with his Maker's license
40:78"and it was not meet for a messenger that he should bring a sign except with Allah's permission".This message was so embeded in Jesus' teachings that he proclaimed it since infancy and all throughout his prophetic carreer, surprisingly in a wording found almost verbatim in the NT although in a different context
19:36,3:51"Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore worship Him"
Jn20:17"I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God".The whole point of the Quran in regards to Jesus is that he was not fully, nor partially God. The reason it lists his miracles is to make it clear they were performed with the permission of other than him. The signs are described as "for you" and "from your Lord". They testify to Jesus' identity, leaving no doubt as to his humanity and prophethood, like others before and after him. It is a message to those conjecturing on his identity due to these very miracles, and trying hard to find a subtext to them in relation to the HB.
Jesus' direct disciples understood well this distinction and never saw him as the originator of miracles; he was but a means of their manifestation. Just as the staff of Moses was, or like every naturally occuring phenomena through which Allah manifests His will. In 5:111-115 Jesus' close circle did not request Jesus to send down a table-spread. Rather they asked him to invoke his Sustainer, if He would consent to this miracle so that their hearts are reassured through it. They knew that this man whom they saw as sent by God, a prophet, was but a means through which God manifested His will.
This reflects in Jesus' own reported sayings in the NT Jn17:6-8,13:3,8:28,5:30,Matt28:17-19,Mk2:10 where he teaches his audience he is given everything and cannot do anything on his own Jn10:25. He further emphasizes this reality by invoking Allah's name during and after the performance of miracles Jn11:40-43. He was fully dependant of God's power when he exorcised demons Lk11:21,Matt12:28. Neither did he forgive sins, but stated a fact, in the passive form "your sins are forgiven".
What happened, by the way to the blood pre-requisite for atonement, allegedly established by Jesus himself since Genesis? Jesus in this statement doesnt take God's place but uses a circumlocution for God: “your sins are forgiven” means “they are forgiven by God” as he said "the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Mk2:5-10. He states himself that he is given that authority. He is authorized to declare forgiveness on God's behalf, the same way priests think they can do. In fact in a passage absent from the oldest manuscripts of Luke over a wide geographical distribution, Jesus while on the cross prays the Father to forgive his killers, instead of forgiving them himself
Lk23:34"Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing".
It is however difficult to blame the branches of Christianity that have misunderstood the NT's sometimes blurred lines between the Creator and His creation.
The transmitted oral traditions of Jesus were put to writing not by Jews like him with a Semitic concept of the Divine but by gentile converts who understood and transmitted these traditions through the lens of their previous Hellenistic thought system. That is why we find "difficult" passages obviously tainted with Roman Mithraism, the likes of Jesus telling regular people that they should strive to become
Matt5:48"perfect just as your father in heaven is perfect".Nothing is more abhorred in Semitic monotheism, of which Jesus was part of, to suggest that the Creator could in any way be brought to the level of his creation.
The unsurmountable difficulty Trinitarians face is that Jesus, contrary to God as depicted throughout the Bible, never asks to be worshiped. This is because he was a prophet, and prophets never departed from the pattern of complete obedience and servitude to the supreme authority that sent them among the people
3:79-80"It is not meet for a mortal that Allah should give him the Book and the wisdom and prophethood, then he should say to men: Be my servants rather than Allah's; but rather (he would say): Be worshippers of the Lord because of your teaching the Book and your reading (it yourselves). And neither would he enjoin you that you should take the angels and the prophets for lords; what! would he enjoin you with unbelief after you are Muslims?"
The long line of prophets supported one another in that principle, never departing from it by virtue of the covenant they had entered into with their Lord
3:81"God made a covenant with the Prophets: “If after what I have vouchsafed to you of the Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a messenger confirming the truth of what you have in your possession, you shall believe in him and you shall help him. Do you,” said He, “affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms?” They answered: “We do affirm it.” Said He: ‘Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you".
Here the Quran overlooks the time intervals which separated the messengers, and groups them all in one majestic scene with God, addressing them all at the same time.
Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Quran’s Multiple Creators: More Proof of Islam’s Triadic Deity"
Sam Shamoun "Allah Promises to Obliterate the Quran"
28:88 comes in the context of Allah's supreme sovereignty. It does not say all things will be destroyed by Allah. It says everything in the heavens and the earth, including those hypotethically close as the polytheists assumed about Allah's partners, or as Christians do in regards to Jesus, Mary, the Holy spirit and other saintly figures, are perishing save His Glorious Self 28:88. This rules out the idea of independant, intrinsic power and will, to any entity in the heavens and the earth, animate or inanimate, that ever existed and that ever will, except for Allah. All things are dependant on Him at each moment of their existence.
55:26-27 speaks of things in our present world.
Assuming for argument's sake that all things in the heavens and the earth will be destroyed, including the mother of the book and the preserved tablet/lawh mahfuz, it still would not affect Allah's word and speech. These heavenly entities are, just like wordly Quran copies, things on which Allah's word has been reproduced.
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