The Islam Issue "Muhammad violates Islamic law"

The Islam Issue "Muhammad violates Islamic law"

The condemnation in sura nur of suspicion, false charges and gossip in the context of slander, is extended elsewhere general matters 

33:70"be careful of (your duty to) Allah and speak the right word" 

49:12"avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? By no means, [since] you would hate it". 

Dishonouring a Muslim brother is likened to consuming the flesh of his dead body. Making mention of ‘dead body’ is owing to the fact that backbiting is done behind people’s back in the same manner that the dead are unable to defend themselves. It is such a gross and cowardly act that the limbs of the backbiter will be made to testify against him 17:36. 

All people therefore have the benefit of the doubt and Muslims are told to assume the best rather than the worst in people, unless there are solid reasons for suspicion, especially if they are from one's own community 24:12-18. 

One's privacy, including the privacy of public figures, cannot be compromised based on suspicion 49:4-5,24:27-29. The code of law of many developed nations do not issue a search warrant unless there is solid evidence to back up an accusation. This notion reaches such an extent in Islam that one of the early caliphs suspected that a particular individual was committing adultery, jumped over his wall and caught him in the act. The man protested that even the caliph had no right to spy on him in this manner, to which the caliph relented, continued his inspection of the city and mentioned nothing of the man's identity to anyone. 

As always, when trying to understand a Quranic passage and even more so a particular hadith, it is with the aforementioned relevant information that one should interpret all related topics. For example when the prophet told Ali to go kill a man rumoured of adultery with Maria the copt, without requiring first the high standard of testimony, then it should be understood, as it was by the scholars of hadith, including as early as Jaafar al Saadiq, that the prophet was teaching those who slandered Maria, that presuppositions can be totally baseless and harmful. It is to be kept in mind that the prophet told Ali that whatever mission he sends him to accomplish, he must first make a proper investigation prior to acting as per the prophet's orders 

"Ali said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, when you send me on a mission, should I go and do what you tell me to do (with no delay) or witness and find out what someone who is not there cannot find out? He said: 'Witness and find out what someone who is not there cannot find out".

Ali acted exactly as per the prophet's recommendations, and as it turned out, the man in question was an eunuch, who was consequently left unbothered. The whole incident strongly demonstrated the prophet's as well as the Quran's repeated warnings against false suspicions. This eunuch's name was Jaarih and was gifted to the prophet along with Maria by an Egyptian notable, to serve Maria within the prophet's household. Common sense dictates that the prophet was aware of Jaarih's condition and that the Egyptian ruler had told him about it.  There is a reason why the hadith compiler himself did not include that narration in his book of legal judgments and so he did not understand it as setting a legal precedent. Furthermore this was by no means the only rumor spread by the prophet's malicious opponents. There are other occasions where the prophet and his household, as reported both in the Quran and ahadith were the unjust targets of slander and never did the prophet adopt such unilateral, punitive measures against the accusers or the alleged culprits. On would expect to find a precedent, a pattern indicating the prophet's supposed inclination for impulsive, arbitrary judgements the likes his opponents claim in regards the incident with Jaarih.

The Quran reforms society in matters of preservation of sexual morality in the most intricate of ways, not only through issuing threats of sanctions and punishments. Sura nur, the sura of chastity, begins with stipulating the punishment of adulterers, then paves the ground for a sound marriage, speaks of modest clothing for both men and women, prohibiting lecherous staring, warns against slander, ending with children's taking permission at the time of entering parents’ room, so as to preserve them too from being exposed to inappropriate situations. Even immature children are taught not to enter the parents’ room without permission at least at three special times (before morning ritual prayer, after night prayer, and at noon time when parents are taking rest).

The principle of not sitting in judgement of other people's hidden motives the moment they declare their faith or good intentions is again reflected in Nuh's answer to the unbelievers. They questioned his followers' motives because of their past behaviour, but he answered that he is not concerned with their past and they will only have to answer to God when they meet Him. Only then their true worth will be established 11:31,26:111-5. This principle extends to the followers of any system that leads them to 

6:52"call upon their nurturing Lord in the morning and the evening, they seek His face". 

Muslims should not to be repulsed by such people whose beliefs may not fully answer to the demands of the Quran. Rather they should provide help, explanation and clarifications. Ultimately, 

"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".

Similarly a woman who deserts her husband for the sole sake of her new faith, not for any worldly issues, and solemnly declares her Islam, then, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, this must constitue enough proof of her truthfulness, and she must be integrated within the community. This is because God alone is fully aware of the reality of the hearts 

60:10"examine them; Allah knows best their faith". 

Wisdom and spiritual awareness are not the monopoly of the elite, and neither is social status a criteria of truth. The Quran demonstrates this point as it quotes the chiefs and the elders of the community who comforted themselves in their opposition to the Quran by arguing that had there been any truth to it, they, as the most eminent and cultivated members of society would have been in the forefront to accept it. Yet only the common people, ie of lesser wisdom and intelligence have adopted it 46:11. 

Consequently a society may judge only by external evidence, which comprises a person's words and deeds for only Allah knows what is in the hearts of men 3:29,29:10-11. These hidden thoughts will be inevitably brought to light 47:29, but in the meantime none can perceive the disease of another person's heart except when it surfaces through his social affinities 58:22 or his behavior 

47:30"And if We please We would have made you know them so that you would certainly have recognized them by their marks and most certainly you can recognize them by the intent of (their) speech" 

and even if one succeeds in hiding his disbelief in this world or seems to meet the standards of righteousness, it does not mean in any way that such a one will succeed in escaping justice in the Hereafter 9:105.

The Islam Issue "Scientific miracles part 2: The Big bang and Quran 21:30"

The Islam Issue "Scientific miracles part 2: The Big bang and Quran 21:30"

The Quran is meant to provide spiritual, not scientific guidance. The miraculous way of the Quranic speech, its description of the universe and nature made sense to the ancient people all the while maintaining sufficient flexibility and space so that when the intellect and knowledge of men reach its peak, then that same Book becomes a permanent evidence. 

For example the verses 2:22,20:53,40:64 draw the image of a comfortable and protective tent with a sheltering binaa' above (the word is applied to tents and canopies and the like used by Bedouins). The ancients, just like us today, would firstly understand that the binaa' provides them with protection which in turn would ignite their God-consciousness and gratitude 

88:18-20"And the heaven, how it is reared aloft, And the mountains, how they are firmly fixed, And the earth, how it is made a vast expanse". 

This is the spiritual intent of the verses and if that is appreciated then the Quran has fully reached its objective. The readers and listeners can then go after the collateral, indirect and ambiguous meanings. They may inject their own erroneous views of nature onto the broad and ambiguous terms by equating binaa' with a solid physical canopy, just like we can blend our current scientific knowledge with the general words, so as to equate binaa'/structure with the protective atmosphere and upwards such as the magnetosphere. The Quran's ambiguous wording on the other hand would neither confirm nor negate any of the 2 interpretations. The only explicit stance of the Quran is as regards the spiritual portent of the verse, which both ancient and modern readers can grasp regardless of their understanding of nature.

It is worthy of note that although the Quran was revealed in the backward milieu of pre-Islamic Arabia, it nevertheless repeatedly calls its audience and readers upon reflection and observation of every aspect of creation, most often the universe, in order to increase in spirituality, not in scientific discovery. It is not one of the Quran’s goals to tell everything about the universe; its main goal is to guide its audience to the apparent significances that they can see with their eyes and feel. This is why the Quran only speaks of the apparent significances like the sky, earth, mountains, sun, moon, clouds and so on. 

Whether we look at nature and the universe according to ancient beliefs or in light of the latest discoveries, our appreciation and awe of these phenomena, how they are regulated and preserved, is not diminished. Regardless of what we may call these laws, they continue to serve as evidence of the truth and of God’s power which is manifest in 

3:190"the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the succession of night and day".

This not only pertains to astronomy but other aspects of the observable nature, spoken of with just enough depth to be relevant spiritually, while maintaining a neutral wording so as to avoid either confirming or blatantly rejecting the scientific notions of the ancients. The Quran was not sent to clear their misunderstandings, rather to clear their ignorance of the higher realities of our existence, and which are present in every aspect of nature 

2:115"so whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allah". 

It would have been counterproductive for the Quran to blatantly mention unknown science facts. It carried the risk of deflecting the audience's attention from the deeper message, confusing them further during the delicate process of spiritual reform. Early Muslims appreciated the spiritual portents of these verses but were then free to delve deeper into the unintended scientific aspect, interpreting it in accordance with their own views. We do the same today and others will continue after us, the more scientific advancements are made. 

To the spiritually aware, for whom all observation of nature is seen through the prism of God-consciousness, these advancements are simply unravelling further God's might. Islamically, this is the correct approach to all scientific endeavor. When devoid of the spiritual angle, observation of nature only scratches the surface of reality 

30:7-8"They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware. Do they not contemplate within themselves? Allah has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And indeed, many of the people, in [the matter of] the meeting with their Lord, are disbelievers".

All Quranic facts are absolute, and non falsifiable which isnt the case for most scientific facts, because they are the evolutionary product of the human mind as it goes from the primitive to the complex. In the course of human search of knowledge, previous postulates evolved from a speck of truth, to half truth to certain truth then many times only to revert back to ignorance. Most of what we knew, know and will know as science facts always prove in the course of time to be transient.

That is why the modern trend of seeking science "fact" or "errors" in the Quran, while science itself is undergoing an evolutionary process through the human medium of reasoning, is a fundamental mistake in approaching the meanings of the Quran. This book doesnt need its “credibility” enhanced by means of technical, mathematical, or quantitative data. The Quran is an integrated and consolidated whole that is in no need of scientific confirmation, while science is in need of constant substantiation as it keeps moving from one theory to another. Finite man will never be able to produce infinite science; man will never be able to produce eternal facts.

Now as to 21:30, the Quran states the heavens and earth were closed, then pictures life coming forth by tearing its way, an imagery often employed in religious scriptures 1Kings8:35,2Chronicles7:13,Deut28:12. 

It is to be firstly understood it doesnt say heavens and earth were closed or joined together, rather that each on their own were closed. It is a phenomenon the addressees are told to observe in order to substantiate the spiritual import of the verse. The implication of both heavens and earth opening is that rain showers down from heaven (from the clouds 13:17,16:65,18:45,24:43,30:48,35:9,43:11) and vegetation germinates from the earth after ripping it apart 

"Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them/fataqnahum; and We have made of water everything living, will they not then believe?" 

86:11-12"I swear by the raingiving heavens, And the earth splitting (with plants)" 

80:25-26"We pour down the water, pouring (it) down in abundance, then We cleave the earth, cleaving (it) asunder".

The Quran often employs this image of God as the Almighty, giver of life and energy, causing life/action "to tear its way forth". The divine name "al-fatir" whose root meaning is "to split" is linked to that effect of creation through splitting 6:14. 

It is narrated that Amr b. Ubayd once went to Muhammad al-Baqir (a descendant of the prophet through his grandsons) to test him through a question. He asked:

 “May I be your ransom! What is the meaning of His words: Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them (21:30)? What does it mean to be ‘closed up’ and ‘opened up’?” Abu Jaʿfar (that is, al-Baqir) replied: “The heavens were closed up, not sending down rain; and the earth was closed up, not sprouting any plants. Thereafter God opened up the heaven with rain and opened up the earth with vegetation.” Given this answer, Amr b. ʿUbayd had nothing to say, could not find any objection, and went on his way".

6:95"Indeed Allah is the one who cracks open/faliq the seed and the fruit pit, including He makes the living come out of the dead and makes the dead come out of the living. This is Allah for you so how come you get mislead"

6:96"He is the Cleaver/faliq of the Daybreak"

113:1"I seek refuge with the Lord who breaks apart and brings forth everything/rabbil falaq"

Faliq from F-L-Q is used for something that cracks open and makes way for a new beginning or a new entity. It is used for example for the egg that hatches and brings about a new bird or as in the above instances with the cracking open of the seeds in order to have a new plant sprout. Because most things in nature come to existence after a former entity cracks open, the term F-L-Q is used for "creation" even when that creation does not necessarily include breaking a former entity, as illustrated in 6:96. Such verses come in the context of resurrection and are meant to show that it is easy for God to bring us back to life as He brings to life the heavens and the earth that were closed up/dead 

16:65,25:49,30:19,32:27,35:9,36:32-3,41:39,50:9-11,43:11"And He Who sends down water from the cloud according to a measure, then We raise to life thereby a dead country, even thus shall you be brought forth". 

One may argue that the seed is not necessarily dead but dormant or something like that. In Arabic, linguistically, and as demonstrated in the Quran, death is defined by inactivity and life is defined as activity. God has allowed this earth to be the cradle of the cyclic occurrence of life and death, the continuous repetition on a micro/macro scale, of activity and inactivity of every element on the earth, including the elements that make us, that will eventually return to their previous inactive state and then reintegrate the living 39:21,77:25 as a symbol of the resurrection 

"Most surely there is a reminder in this for the men of understanding" 

29:20"Travel in the earth and see how He makes the first creation, then Allah creates the latter creation; surely Allah has power over all things". 

The Creator is perfectly aware of 

34:2"what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the sky and what ascends into it". 

Besides the refusal to accept ultimate accountability, it is the negation of that particular knowledge of God that led them to technically negate the concept of resurrection, the knowledge of the whereabouts of every atom composing a body when scattered throughout the earth and consequent capacity to gather them back 

32:10"when we have become lost in the earth, shall we then certainly be in a new creation?" 

Through several angles, the Quran answers this objection, the original creation of man from dispersed dust is no different than his recreation once he returns to scattered dust. In fact so comprehensive will the process be than even the conscience, the soul, is preserved from the moment of death 39:42. In the words of Muhammad Asad, this definition comprises things physical and spiritual: waters disappearing underground and reappearing; the metamorphosis of seed into plant, and of decaying plant into oil and coal; traces of old artifacts and entire civilizations buried in the earth and then reappearing within the sight and consciousness of later generations of men; the transformation of dead bodies of animals and men into elements of nourishment for new life; the ascent of earthy vapours towards the skies, and their descent as rain, snow or hail; the ascent towards the heavens of men’s longings, hopes and ambitions, and the descent of divine inspiration into the minds of men, and thus a revival of faith and thought and, with it, the growth of new artifacts, new skills and new hopes: in short, the endless recurrence of birth, death and re-birth which characterizes all of God’s creation.

We are thus in need of the One who put in place, and sustains this sytem, for spiritual guidance and life in this world as well as the hereafter regardless of whether we recognize Him and accept Him 

35:15"O men, you are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One".

The often repeated image of life splitting the earth appart 80:25-32 is metaphorically used in 13:31 for God's guidance, through the Quran, causing "the earth to be torn asunder".

The Islam Issue "The fate of the Ibn Masud codex"

The Islam Issue "The fate of the Ibn Masud codex"

The notion of Umar supposedly realizing that "a verse was lost" after the events of Yamama is found in a Munqat’i (broken chain) report. This grade in hadith science means it lacks rigorous authentication, it doesnt however necessarily mean it is fabricated 

"Umar was once looking for the text of a specific verse of the Qur’an (he vaguely remembered). (To his deep sorrow), he discovered that the only person who had any record of that verse had been killed in the battle of Yamama (and that the verse was consequently lost)". 

Everything between brackets is absent from the actual Arabic 

"Umar bin al Khattab enquired about a verse from the Book of Allah and was told it had been with/maa' a certain person who had been killed on the day [battle] of Yamama. Upon which he [Umar] said ‘Verily we belong to Allah’ and ordered the Qur’an [to be gathered] and so it was compiled". 

The preposition maa'/with indicates two things being together, in a physical sense, ie the memorizer with a written copy of a particular verse. Umar, like many other contemporaries was a memorizer, he was simply looking for a written copy of the verse he knew. Nothing in the report implies lack of knowledge, forgetfulness or complete loss.

The true meaning therefore, as corroborated by the history is that the written copy of a certain known verse was with by someone who had been killed. This was the very reason Umar consulted with Abu Bakr to compile the Quran in book form. The early companions wanted to establish a parallel process of compilation and preservation, combining memorization and writing, both corroborating and authenticating oneanother.

Further reading answering The Islam Issue "The fate of the Ibn Masud codex"

- CIRA International unveil Islamic scandal; Uthman burns different Qurans?

- Islam Critiqued wont humble himself; Hudhayfa reports different Qurans?

- Acts17apologetics seek the details; how was the compilation done? (ibn Masud opposes Zayd)

- Islam critiqued wakes up with the wrong foot..(missing suras and other differences in ibn Masud's codex)

- Islam critiqued may want to dig deeper; what about al-Hajjaj?

The Islam Issue "Gods house of plagiarism"

The Islam Issue "Gods house of plagiarism"

Abraham was 86 according to the biblical account Gen16:16, when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. The root of the name in both Hebrew/ishma and Arabic/ismaa implies "hearing". This is because in both the Bible and the Quran, Abraham desperately prays God for a son. In the Bible God "hears" both his and Hagar's prayers Gen15,16 while the Quran cites only Ibrahim's prayers for a righteous son 37:100-1 and which Allah heard/ismaa. He thus named that firstborn son he longed for Ismaail/Ishmael (a similar Biblical case is Samuel whom his mother called so because 1Sam1:20"I asked him of the Lord"). 

Ismail was the manifestation of Allah's acceptance of Ibrahim's prayers 

14:39"Praise be to Allah, Who has given me in old age Ismail and Ishaq; most surely my Lord is the Hearer of prayer". 

It is to be noted that both Ishmael and Ismail are appropriation into Hebrew/Arabic of the name which Abraham gave to his son in his native Babylonian language. Ismail's birth was a miracle given Ibrahim's old age, and God, throughout the prophetic history caused women to bear children in miraculous circumstances, Mary the mother of Jesus being one of them 

19:20,3:47"Allah creates what He pleases; when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is".

The Abrahamic connection with the Arabs, Mecca, the Kaaba was deeply ingrained in the minds of the prophet's addressees. There was no tension nor polemics in that regards, neither with the polytheists, nor with the Jews and Christians among the Arabs. This bellies the notion that, whomever the critics alledge wrote the Quran, needed to invent that connection. 

Recently for instance Joseph Witztum argued the Quranic Ishmael-binding narrative and building of the Kaaba by both Ibrahim and his son, find inspiration in a Syriac Homily by Jacob of Serugh. Besides Witztum's admission that the Abrahamic connection with the Meccan Ishmaelites is attested in non Muslim pre-Islamic sources (Theodoret and Sozomon), meaning the Quran did not need re-adapting a story to make a point that was already accepted, no evidence exists for the Homily in question circulating among the Arabs of the peninsula, including Jews and Christians. Especially not among the laymen, making the information complicated to access, even more so in the Arabic language. No loan words or linguistic similarities appear in the parallel passages. The similarities are isolated and out of context. For example the homily speaks of Abraham and Isaac building an altar. Although there is mention of both Ibrahim and Ismail engaging in construction, there is no altar or sacrifice in the Quranic context. Neither were the Kaaba nor the altar to sacrifice the enigmatic "only son", which could never have been Isaac the second-born, the only spiritual constructions by Abraham. The Bible recounts how he built places of worship to God throughout his journeys Gen12:6-8,13:4,18. That Abrahamic practice we are told in the HB, was left to his posterity that similarly built places of worship symbolized by stones erected as pillars Gen28:10,18-22, ie the "foundations" which Ibrahim and Ismail "raised" 2:127.

On a more general note, the idea the Arabs needed to express their thoughts, even their sacred history in a foreign language, such as Syriac is untenable. Christoph Luxenberg famously stated that the Syro-Aramaic used in Edessa and its environs is the original language of the Quran, not Arabic, despite the Quran itself repeatedly saying about itself it is evident Arabic, in the language of the messenger's people 12:2,13:37,26:195,46:12,16:103,19:97,44:58,14:4. One may add that the consensus of all Arabs after Islam, regardless of their scholarly, political and tribal background is that the Quran has been revealed in the Qurayshi dialect, whose language was known for its eloquence. Neither does Luxenberg explain how this language might have come to dominate in far away Hijaz to such an extent that it would form the basis of the sacred writings of its inhabitants, nor does he present the slightest evidence that there existed in Mecca and its surroundings an Arab community under intense Christian influence. These claims run along the same lines as those of the Protestant theologian Gunter Luling who theorized in the 1960s that this area was thoroughly christianized by Muhammad’s lifetime, and Mecca was a significant Christian town ruled by the Quraysh, a Christianized tribe that worshipped in the Kaaba, a Christian church built with an orientation toward Jerusalem. This assertion however remains unsubstantiated whether from Muslim or Christian sources, just as his assumption of a massive Christian presence in central and northwestern Arabia.

There are no Arabic inscriptions written in the Syriac script whereas there are quite a number of them written in Nabataean Aramaic script, the recognized origin of the Arabic script. Arabic was widely spoken in the Middle East by the 7th century CE, particularly in the region of the former Nabataean kingdom. This very evolution presumes frequent writing of Arabic in the Nabataean script. Some inscriptions prove that Arabic had already long been used for sacred expression, such as the Oboda inscription, and possibly also the ones found in the Madaba area. There is also Epiphanius of Salamis’ testimony as to the praises to a virgin deity sung in Arabic by the inhabitants of Petra and Elusa.

A well known Meccan inscription dated to AH 98/717 CE is variously attributed to a bishop of Najran in southwest Arabia named Quss ibn Sa‘ida, or else to one of the pre-Islamic kings of Yemen. Regardless of the authenticity of that attribution, the accumulation of pre-islamic evidence, including a vast wealth of poetry, does point to them belonging to that period. The pre-Islamic Arabic texts are nothing but the visible tip of the iceberg. Most of the hidden material is lost through the effect of time or in the process of being discovered. The point is that there is a substantial tradition of writing and speaking Arabic. Why would then the Quran's supposed authors need to express their sacred traditions in a far away foreign language?

Further reading answering The Islam Issue "Gods house of plagiarism"

The Qibla change

- CIRA international do geopolitics; why change Qibla? 

- CIRA international explore early Muslim dilemma; praying to Jerusalem?

- CIRA international expose a great conspiracy; people hiding the true qibla? 

- CIRA international find monotheistic discrepency; God is present in a direction?

- CIRA international find deeper meanings to Qibla change; a new nation under God? 

Abraham and the Kaaba

- Islam Critiqued is restless; Muhammad connects Mecca to Abraham?

- Islam Critiqued denies Biblical prophecies; no trace of the Ishmaelite nation? 

- Islam Critiqued seeks footprints in the sand; Abraham passes by the Kaaba? 

- Islam Critiqued finds Abraham's successors; the hanif remnants?

- Islam Critiqued stuck with a problem; Abrahamic practices in Mecca? 

- Islam Critiqued needs names; hanifs in the time of Muhammad? 

- Islam Critiqued ditches human depravity; Arabs corrupting Abrahamic legacy? 

- Islam Critiqued finds hope; traces of monotheism in pre-Islamic times?

- Islam Critiqued keeps finding patterns; the straying of the Semites?

- Islam Critiqued needs secular views; any sign of Mecca?

- Islam Critiqued asks non-Muslims; no trace of Mecca?

- Islam Critiqued looks for the illusive shrine; the universal Kaaba? 

- Islam Critiqued digs up Greek sources; the ancient Meccan town is found? 

The only son

- Apostate prophet revises history; Isaac was Abraham's only son?

- Apostate prophet wonders at simple words; what is an only son? 

- Apostate prophet revists Abraham's prayer; Ishmael was dedicated to Allah? 

- Apostate prophet falls for biblical drama; Hagar carries Ishmael into the desert? 

- Apostate prophet exposes bible editors; Abraham sends his family to die? 

The seven sleepers

- Islam Critiqued is sceptic of his own tradition; the seven sleepers in the Quran? 

The Islam Issue "Muhammads treatment of military widows"

The Islam Issue "Muhammads treatment of military widows"

 

"And she said that the messenger of Allah said: “go and throw sand in their mouths“."

This translation is false. It literally says 

"And I (Aisha) zaamtu/thought/conjectured that the prophet said "go and put dust in their mouths".

The prophet did not forbid weeping for one's deceased, but the tradition of "fake wailing" where women are incited to do so at funerals. This tradition is still seen in many cultures around the world, including Muslim. He said 

"If a hired mourner (a woman who is hired to wail during funerals) does not repent before she dies, she will be raised on the Day of Judgement wearing a garment of tar and an armour of blistering puss.” 

He also said 

"Allaah does not punish for the weeping of the eye or the sadness of the heart, but He punishes for this –pointing to his tongue –or that this [what the tongue utters] is forbidden". 

Crying from sadness at a cherished person's death is normal, and the prophet himself many times did so, even years after the person's passing. The prophet described that type of sadness as

"a mercy which Allah has placed in the hearts of his slaves. Allah bestows His Mercy on the merciful among His slaves". 

What is disapproved is the abovementionned practice, the wailing and lamenting as it many times leads to overstepping the religious bounds and questionning God's justice and purpose behind the incidents of life 

"He who slaps the cheeks, tears the clothes and follows the tradition of the Days of Ignorance is not from us". 

The approved manner of mourning however is one where 

"The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Sustainer. O Ibrahim! Indeed we are grieved by your departure". 

Among those words which the mourner may utter are reminders of the goodness of the deceased, prayers of mercy, forgiveness, wishing him/her the reward of Paradise, and acceptance of the overall design of creation 

2:156"Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return".

Sam Shamoun "Grave Worship: More of Muhammad’s Duplicity Exposed"

Sam Shamoun "Grave Worship: More of Muhammad’s Duplicity Exposed"

The verse 9:94 is in the context of denouncing hypocrisy in war time. More particularily in reference to the expedition of Tabuk.

The importance of that encounter was such that only the most hardened and serious elements were called to join. Although some failed answering the call, the prophet didnt blame them, even praised them as if they had accompanied him. On the other hand the half-hearted people seeking vain excuses, and hypocrites, were told to stay back even though they did not explicitly refuse joining. A small example to corroborate is that of Jadd b. Qays, the chief of Bani Salamah, who was told to remain behind based on his lust for female war captives. This by the way bellies the weak reports where it is the prophet that supposedly encouraged him to go to battle with the prospect of acquiring women captives. Some comentators have said that 9:49 refers to him.  Although their freedom wasnt interfered with, these hypocrites and opportunistic Muslims would later be temporarily ostracized by the community, with the prophet even refusing to accept their zakat. They were neither fought nor killed, but were instead naturally cast away the more the Muslims gained ascendent over their open enemies. Most of them were known through their deeds and sayings, and were thus marked with shame and placed under scrutiny

9:94"And God will behold your deeds, and His Apostle". 

The verb refers to future deeds. It literally says 

"will see Allah your deeds, and His Messenger"

This is a common sentence construction as exists in any language where, for brievty's sake, one does not repeat a verb that applies to two subjects next to each other. The verse joins both Allah and the messenger in one action but does not join the subjects. What is remarkable from the point of view of Quranic precision and consistency is that, because it speaks of witnessing the deeds by others than Allah, in this case His messenger, the verse then stresses that none knows the unseen other than Allah, that He will inform the people of their deeds and judge them. The idea of tawhid, of God's oneness and uniqueness, is this way stressed and preserved

"then you shall be brought back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He will inform you of what you did"  

An important side note as regards the prophet's refusal to allow hypocrites to battle. In the semitic pattern of prophethood, God assists the believers in battle in proportionality to their spiritual condition. The examples are numerous, both in the HB and the Quran. See link below.

Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Grave Worship: More of Muhammad’s Duplicity Exposed"

- Acts17apologetics need the supernatural; angelic help to Abrahamic warriors? (divine assistance in battle)

-Apostate prophet sleeps late; the people of the cave is a legend? (masjid over the youths of the cave)

-Sam Shamoun "Revisiting the Worship and Prayers of Allah" (prayers to the prophet, verse 9:103)

-Sam Shamoun "The Islamic Gods Unveiled Pt. 2 Additional Proof that Islam is Repackaged Arab Paganism" (verse 4:64)

Sam Shamoun "INVOCATION AND WORSHIP: THE ISLAMIC DILEMMA"

Sam Shamoun "INVOCATION AND WORSHIP: THE ISLAMIC DILEMMA"

Although all creatures have life and can be termed as "living", the true, ultimate life belongs to God only. He is the ever-living/al hayy 2:255,40:65. The prophet Daniel states in the Aramaic in which the text was recorded Dan6:26"elaha hayya qayyam". The words carry several implications, including the pervasive pattern throughout the Quran of God being the sole self-sufficient, uncreated, independant entity. He relies on none other than Himself to subsit and will perdure even when all things perish 55:26-7,28:88. Al hayy/the ever living is also a description meant at distinguishing Allah from false deities, as is done in the HB Joshua3:10,1Sam17:26,1Sam17:36,Jer10:9-10,etc., whether they be inanimate entities or living creatures that made themselves or were made into objects of worship 16:20-1. They are neither alive nor are able to keep others alive, they do not exist of their own accord nor can keep others into existence. Their existence depends at all times on the self-sustaining source of all life, Allah. 

The Quran treats all false concepts, including idol worship as ideas invented, blindly passed on by the following generations. They are without any reasonable basis to be found in human instincts or by observing the functionning of the universe, to justify their existence. No strong and clear scriptural basis exists claiming divine origin for any of those ideas. they are falsehoods projected either on physical or abstract entities 

10:66,45:23,53:23"They are naught but names which you have named, you and your fathers; Allah has not sent for them any authority. They follow naught but conjecture and the low desires which (their) souls incline to; and certainly the guidance has come to them from their Lord". 

But whatever form these worshipped entities may be, it is the same evil force hiding behind them and inciting their followers to remain on the deviant path 

19:44,34:41,4:117"and they do not call on anything but a rebellious Shaitan". 

Authentic or not, this is what could have been meant by the report in the sira, that once the statue of al Uzza was destroyed, suddenly appeared 

a naked, wailing Ethiopian woman 

whom the companion killed. That fantastic tale seems to have been drawn from earlier reports which could have found their way even among early anti Muslim polemics by Christians. Among Anastasius' "testimonies" of Muslim/satanic partnership was that of Christian sailors who 

"arrived at the place where those who have reduced us to servitude have their stone and their cult". 

This obviously speaks of the Kaaba and the black stone. The sailors, still having their mysoginistic biblical passages in mind witnessed 

"an indecent and horrible old woman rise from the ground". 

She proceeded to gather the sacrifices made at the altar then took them underground with her.

When the Quran states the worshipped entities will be hurled in hell along with their worshipers 21:98-9,37:22-3 it doesnt mean that the simple fact of worshiping an entity will result in it going to hell because the Quran attaches 2 conditions for such a situation to occur; the entity's unequivocal demand to be worshiped as a deity, the followers' actual worship. Yet in almost all cases those to whom divinity was ascribed were created by the people themselves under the influence of evil forces. It is these evil inciters that will be thrown in hell. So in the case of true prophets or saints who were later worshipped as gods, nothing of their righteousness and of what they earned will be diminished and they will have nothing to fear in the hereafter 21:101-3. They are innocent of their followers innovations and deviations 

21:26-9"Nay! they are honored servants. They do not precede Him in speech and (only) according to His commandment do they act..And whoever of them should say: Surely I am a god besides Him, such a one do We recompense with hell; thus do, We recompense the unjust.." 

To illustrate further, the Quran presents the case of the prophet Jesus who shall be questionned on the Day of Judgment regarding his followers' idolizing and worshiping him, and cleared of any guilt since he never commanded it 5:116-120. Since he acted as God's messenger, then what his followers did in his name should be justifiable from his teachings, among them, the worship of both himself and his mother Mary. It is interesting that, just as his word in defence of his mother's chastity constituted the best testimony of the truth in this world, so to in the hereafter, he will speak on her behalf to clear her from any possible guilt as to the people's worshipping her. Jesus was nothing but a faithful and exemplary servant and prophet of God 43:59, in accordance with the glad tidings of eminence given to his mother before he was born

 3:45"When the angels said: O Mariam! Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Massih, Isa son of Mariam, honoured in this world and the hereafter, and he is among those brought near". 

5:116 is a very powerful passage in the sense that those who raised him to the status of divinity and put all hopes of salvation in him will see him being interrogated, humbling himself, then cleared of any responsibility, for the deviations of those claiming to follow him. Like all those who attributed divinity to entities besides God, those claiming to be Jesus' followers will find themselves in a hopeless situation where they will have to answer for their own claims, beliefs, conjecture and deeds.

Although Jesus' testimony is the one most vividly detailed at the divine court of justice, all other sentient entities falsely ascribed divine authority will dismiss those that worshipped them 

16:86"And when those who associated others with Allah see their "partners," they will say," Our Lord, these are our partners [to You] whom we used to invoke besides You." But they will throw at them the statement, "Indeed, you are liars". 

This intricate discourse reveals the seriousness of ascribing partners to God; the guilty do not dare describing them as God's partners, they are "our partners". The worshipped entities on the other hand, frightened by the consequences of such allegation, will quickly throw it back at the guilty. Then, just as Jesus is depicted, they will all humble themselves before God, totally disowning their former worshippers.

Because of this, that these entities never demanded to be idolized, and in addition are totally unaware of it 46:5, they are called "lies" by such prophets as Ibrahim and Hud. They do not perceive such worship. Even if they were made to hear these prayers, they would be utterly powerless in controlling wordly causality and the destineies of their worshippers 

11:50,16:73,19:42,29:17,35:14,37:86,22:62"That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon besides Him-- that is the falsehood, and because Allah is the High, the Great". 

Contrary to any entity or concept worshiped besides Him, Allah is "the Truth" al haqq, one of God's Quranic attributes signifying the Ultimate Reality or Primal Cause of all that exists. It is therefore natural that only the prayers addressed to him are true and valid 

13:14"To Him is due the true prayer; and those whom they pray to besides Allah give them no answer, but (they are) like one who stretches forth his two hands towards water that it may reach his mouth, but it will not reach it; and the prayer of the unbelievers is only in error".

Because of the absence of any of those powers attributed to them, false deities are in a state of subjugation to the laws of the universe like their worshippers are, uncapable of inflicting evil or bringing any good upon their followers by themselves, not even able to create or catch the most insignificant insect should they all collaborate in their efforts. As contingent entities, they, just like the most saintly personalities of this world 7:188,10:49 stand in contrast to the uncaused cause, the necessary being, under Whose dominion are all benefit or harm that may come upon creation 

6:17-18"And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him. And if He touches you with good - then He is over all things competent. And He is the subjugator over His servants. And He is the Wise, the Acquainted [with all]". 

In the words of the prophet Jeremiah as inspired to him 

Jer10:5"fear them not for they will do no harm, neither is it in them to do good".

Even though the worshipers might profit indirectly in their comunities from idol worship, the harm they will ultimately incure will be disproportionaly higher 22:12-3. Neither can the idols help themselves nor their worshippers from the divine scourge, especially had they truly demanded to be worshiped 

5:76,7:190-8,21:42-3,22:73,35:13"this is Allah, your Lord, His is the kingdom; and those whom you call upon besides Him do not control a straw". 

A particularily strong and yet pragmatic observation the Quran points to in order to illustrate the helplesness of those idols in 22:73 is that, besides their inability to create even an insect like a fly viewed as among the smallest, simplest, bothersome or useless as opposed to the universe of complexities originated by the supreme creator whom they also believe in, should one of these lowly creatures snatch a thing from them, like the offerings often left in front of the idols, these idols would be helpless in getting it back.

That the idol worshipers and all those who worship entities other than or besides Allah, are only worshiping a figment of their imagination incited by evil spirits, clothing them in the garb of extraneous beings and entities, is portrayed on the Day of Judgement. A Divine court will be set up 5:116-119,10:28-29,25:17-19,34:40-2 where the worshipers and all worshiped entities, whether the stone idols, prophets, saints, angels or any other entities whom they had set up as partners with God and rendered those rights to them which belonged to God alone will be gathered. The objects worshipped will be cited as 35:40"your partners" because they had never been divinely sanctionned as "God's partners" and 

34:22"they control not the weight of an atom in the heavens or in the earth, nor have they any partnership in either, nor has He a helper among them". 

A seperation will then be made between them and their worshippers. The stones will be made to speak and along with all other worshiped entities, will declare their disavowal of those who called on them and their unawareness that they had been worshipped 

"It was not us that you served. Therefore Allah is sufficient as a witness between us and you that we were quite unaware of your serving (us)". 

Those things which they thought were their protectors have become their enemies, exposing them as worshippers of falsehood 

25:19,46:6,19:82"They shall soon deny their worshipping them, and they shall be adversaries to them".

 This will be the death blow and desillusion of all worshippers of false deities, realizing that their prayers were in vain; the entities to whom they had ascribed divinity were not even aware of their prayers 

28:64"And it will be said: Call your associate-gods. So they will call upon them, but they will not answer them" 

7:37,40:73-4"Then shall it be said to them: Where is that which you used to set up besides Allah? They shall say: They are gone away from us, nay, we used not to call upon anything before" 

7:53"Indeed they have lost their souls and that which they forged has gone away from them".

In what the writers of the HB describe as the "end of days", meaning in their terminology the ushering of an utopian era, but whose descriptions parallel in many places the Quran's description of the Resurrection and Judgement, a day will come where the worshipers of false deities will be brought low and humbled, their idols disappear and only the true God remain and exalted Isa2.

Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "INVOCATION AND WORSHIP: THE ISLAMIC DILEMMA"

- Sam Shamoun "The Islamic Gods Unveiled Pt. 2 Additional Proof that Islam is Repackaged Arab Paganism" (intercession, 4:64, etc.)

- Sam Shamoun "Revisiting the Worship and Prayers of Allah" (praying to Muhammad, supplication etc.)

- Sam Shamoun "NOTES FOR TAUHID DEBATE WITH YAHYA PT. 2" (the blind man)

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Illiteracy Proves that Allah is the Not-So-Powerful One"

Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Illiteracy Proves that Allah is the Not-So-Powerful One"

29:48"And you did not recite (tatlu) before it any book (kitab), nor did you transcribe one with your right hand, for then could those who say untrue things have doubted"

Kitab from the root K-T-B means putting things together as in grouping the herd together or closing the lips or stitching, as well as putting letters or ideas together hence the common use in the sense of a book in which letters, ideas and knowledge are gathered. This binding of things together can be in the physical sense, as in the letters and words of a sentence, or the pages of a book. That is why even a single word, verse or page of the Quran is termed kitab, even prior to the completion of the revelation and binding together into a book. The Prophet is also reported as having said before his death 

"I have left amongst you Muslims that which, if you stick to it, you will not be misguided-the book of Allah". 

Quran is a word similarily applicable to a portion as to the whole 43:2-4. The Arabic word mushaf, known since pre-islamic times as seen from a poem of Imru al Qays, was similarily used for the Quran prior to its completion 

"This son of mine reads the mushaf in the daytime". 

Mushaf means assembled writings between 2 covers. Kitab is also used in the metaphorical sense, as in the binding of a thing or knowledge within one's self 6:12,58:22. For instance it is said about Jesus 

19:30,3:48"And He will teach him the kitab and the hukm and the Tawrat and the Injeel". 

Similarily to him, other prophets have been granted 

3:81,6:89"al kitab and al hukma and al nubuwwa". 

Kitab here is in the singular, and common to these prophets. Hukm is for the ability to judge, rule and make decisions, nubuwwa is the gift of prophecy. The implication of the statement being that all these persons had ability to arrive at wise judgements due to the special knowledge collected into them as if they were books of flesh upon whom God is writing. They had also the ability to prophesy, pointing to the divine nature of their knowledge and actions.

Muhammad was an illiterate man like the vast majority of his people. Illiteracy was so common in those days that we have traditions even listing the very few ones that could actually read and write. According to Al-Baladhuri, there werent more than 17 such people among the Quraysh and 11 from the Khazraj and Aws tribes. Despite this high level of illitracy, hundreds carried on most successful and flourishing businesses. It is known that Khadija had given the Prophet a literate slave named Maisara to accompany him on his trips. The Prophet's function in Khadija's business was to ensure the trustworthy transport of her goods, and finalization of her deals.

Muhammad thus, like the near totality of his people, did not read nor transcribe any type of writing before the Revelation. The Quran says, that situation must remain so during the Revelation in order to serve as potential evidence against

29:48"those who say untrue things".

In 25:4-5, the doubters accuse the prophet of having iktataba what his secret human teachers taught him so that it may be "read out to him morning and evening". Iktitab means both to write and to cause to be written ie by someone else. The last part of the verse shows that it is "causing to be written" that is meant otherwise the prophet would not need the revelation to be read out to him by other people day and night.

The prophet's illiteracy is something his opponents never objected to, and the Quran as well as hadith literature contain all types of objections, calumnies and accusations thrown at him, yet nothing about this particular matter. By reiterating the well known fact that he was an illiterate, the Quran cancels the objection of literal plagiarism by copying and transcribing with his hands. However the Quran does not stop there. In the context of answering the objection that the prophet Muhammad plagiarized oral traditions from human sources, it says he was unschooled in the subjects related by the Quran

7:157"Those who follow the apostle, the ummi (uneducated/unschooled) Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own scriptures".

In 2:78 the Jews are called ummiyun so it neither refers to gentiles nor illiterate people. The word is derived from the root Hamza-M-M and it means mother or sources/origin if said as UMM and destination if said as AMM. Ummi means in this context someone who is close to the source or origin and that conceptually means someone lacking education that moves him away. In a more metaphorical sense it is understood as painting the picture of one as ignorant and uneducated as the one coming out of the umm/mother. In the prophet's case this uneducation is in terms of divine scriptures as so often stated in the Quran

3:44,11:49,28:44,12:3,102"This is of the announcements relating to the unseen (which) We reveal to you, and you were not with them..".

Some have said ummiyun refers to the Meccans, yet in 3:20 (a known Medinan sura) the prophet is told to address the people of the book and the ummiyun, those who are uneducated in a religious scripture, which includes the Arabs from Mecca and outside of it.

Another way in which the definition of "mother" applies to Ummi is that it relates to the mother's love of her child so she does not entrust anyone other than herself to educate him. The same is applied to Muhammad whom Allah loved so much He took great care in teaching him. The Quran draws a particularily affectionate description of the manner in which Gabriel approached, bent over from on high to give full attention and inspired the revelation to the prophet

53:5-10"The Lord of Mighty Power has taught him, The Lord of Strength; so he attained completion, And he is in the highest part of the horizon, Then he drew near, then he bowed. So he was the measure of two bows or closer still, And He revealed to His servant what He revealed".

This particular relationship between God and His prophet is subtely reflected through the muqataat, the distinct enounciation of the letters of the alphabet at the beginning of certain suras. Their recitation, and more particularily by the prophet, convey the idea that the transmitter of this message, the "ummi" prophet who is as unlettred and unschooled as one just coming out of his umm/mother, is now in the process of being taught by God Himself, the One claiming to be the source of the communication, teaching His messenger the basic alphabet. There is a reason why the Quran is said to have been "taught" to its audience 55:2.

The prophet dies very shortly after the revelation of the last verse 5:3 therefore it is logical to say that he did not read nor write a book all his life, for the Quranic argument as stated in 29:48 to be completed. It is reported that on his deathbed, he asked for a paper to have something written on it. This doesnt necessarily entail writing himself, but could as well mean he intended to have someone writing his will in his presence. That is what in fact people accused him of in regards to the Quran, as shown earlier. They never accused him of writing himself the Quran, but that he had others writing for him. It is in this light that the various ahadith describing the prophet as having something written have been understood. For example we read

"That the Messenger of Allah said: "Bring me a shoulder blade or tablet." Then he wrote: Not equal are those of believers who sit".

Another version of the same hadith says

"bring me a shoulder blade of a camel, or a tablet, and write: Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home)".

Something else to keep in mind is that illiterate people are often able to read and write very basic words and sentences whose shapes they recognize. That doesnt make them literate. One example is that of a narration that begins by reiterating the fact that "Allah's Messenger used not to write" but he nevertheless was able to recognize the expression "Apostle of Allah" on a paper handed to him by Ali ibn Abi Talib.

One may come back and argue that the prophet Muhammad must have been literate because he was commanded to

96:1"Read in the name of your Lord".

But how could the prophet be told to read from a paper in front of him the very words that are being revealed to him? 
Iqraa or Itlu do not always mean that one is reading something written on a paper, both are commonly used in the sense of reading behind someone or reading from the mind. This is particularly made clear in 75:16-18. The prophet is told by his Instructor (Allah) not to be hasty with the Quran while it is transmitted to him, because

"on Us (devolves) the collecting of it and the reading of it",

ie it is Allah who sets the standard as to how it should be read. So when the Instructor reads it, the follower should follow the words

"Therefore when We have read it, follow its reading".

The verse does not say that first it is read out to the prophet, then he must write it and then read it. It commands him to read as it is read to him

87:6"We shall make you recite (sanuqriuka) so you shall not forget".

Allah was literaly puting the holy words into the prophet's mouth

19:97"We have only made it easy in your tongue that you may give good news thereby to those who guard (against evil) and warn thereby a vehemently contentious people"

and teaching him how to read them out. As the prophecy of Deut18 says

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him".

The ahadith describe the prophet's first encounter with the agent of revelation. The experience was so overwhelming that the prophet at first would not let the messenger transmit the revelation, interrupting him. He did not know the purpose of the experience 

"...till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him in it and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read (a better translation is "what shall i read?")" "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and again asked me to read, and I replied, "I do not know how to read/what shall i read?" whereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and asked me again to read, but again I replied, "I do not know how to read (or, what shall I read?)." Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me and then released me and said, "Read: In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). Has created man from a clot. Read and Your Lord is Most Generous...up to..... ..that which he knew not." (96.15)"

Man is apt to forget, and the Prophet was a human being and he too was apt to forget and since the Quran was also a great asset which was being entrusted to him, he would repeat each and every word of the revelation fearing that any of it might slip away from his memory. This verse, telling him he will be made to recite in manner so as to not forget, came as a reassurance, stressing that God has taken upon Himself its impression on his memory. This was not by his own power and leave, being a mortal like anyone else and it is a reminder of this reality that the Quran continues

87:7"Except what Allah pleases, surely He knows the manifest, and what is hidden".

The context of the verse is about intricate, detailed, purposeful divine planing for all things and how nothing escapes God's grasp and knowledge. The prophet's rare occasions of very limited forgetfulness (and his followers and recorders' reminding him) were fully in accordance with that master plan, meant among other things at humbling him as well as to the believers' eyes around him, of his own faillibility as a human being as well of God's being in control of the process of memorization and compilation of the Quran, allowing only what He wills to be temporarily, not completely, forgotten. As a principle, the Quran reminds in many instances of that concept, how this revelation and its very preservation is a mercy from Allah that could be taken away from Muhammad or erase parts of it from the prophet's own memory without him noticing it as said above, therefore man should remain grateful for it and never feel complacent

17:86-7"And if We please, We should certainly take away that which We have revealed to you, then you would not find for it any protector against Us. But on account of mercy from your Lord-- surely His grace to you is abundant".

There is one recorded incident where God caused a permanent blackout among the Muslim community's best reciters

"We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara'at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: "If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust." And we used so recite a surah which resembled one of the surahs of Musabbihat, and I have forgotten it, but remember (this much) out of it: 'Oh people who believe, why do you say that which you do not practise.' (lxi 2.) and, 'That is recorded in your necks as a witness (against you) and you would be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection" (xvii. 13)".

What is interesting here is that this report is narrated by up to 15 of the most renowned companions, over a wide geographical distribution, from Basra to Kufah, Mecca to Medina. Nothing is known from the chapter in question except for the vague snippet each narrator remembers. God in His wisdom, has left this trace in the memory of men, and took the rest so as to provide proof of His control over the transmission process of the divine revelation. He may take away what He peases and establish what He wants. With the Jews, this process took the form of punishment. Their books describe God, in answer to their complacency towards divine guidance, the rejection, persecution and killing of the prophets sent in their midst, as interrupting an ongoing guiding revelation Ezek3:26,24:27,33:21-22. 

Further reading answering Sam Shamoun "Muhammad’s Illiteracy Proves that Allah is the Not-So-Powerful One"

- Sam Shamoun "Source of Muhammad’s Inspiration – Divine or Demonic?"(1)