Surah Nur and the incident of al-ifk

Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul is regarded as a leading hypocrite among the Muslim community of Medina. Prior to the prophet's migration to the city and due to his game of tribal alliances, his fame had grown to the extent he was to become the governor of Medina. The arrival of the prophet however frustrated his plans, and he kept that resentment in him despite paying lip service to the religion. The prophet had attained to leadership not through force and instigation of a faction against another, through lies and false pretence as he was doing now, but through love and brotherhood and conviction. This left ibn Salul even more bitter. He was always on the lookout to weaken the Muslims' resolve, unity and the prophet's authority and reputation.

During the confrontation with Bani Nadir, he promised them two thousand warriors in case they decided to remain in their fortified settlements despite the siege by the Muslims. Motivated by this proposition, they decided to take up arms against the prophet. The Muslims besieged them for 20 days, without actual fighting, but when ibn Ubayy's promise didnt materialize, they decided to surrender 

59:11-14"...They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified towns or from behind walls; their fighting between them is severe, you may think them as one body, and their hearts are disunited; that is because they are a people who have no sense". 

Just as the satan whispered false hopes to the Quraysh alliance at the battle of Badr but immediately deserted them as he witnessed the unseen at the battlefield 8:48, so too did the whispering of the satan among the men, in this case ibn Ubayy, abandon the Jews after inciting them into treachery. The Quran alludes to this principles many times, that the satan from among the men or jinn will eventually dissociate themselves from those who willingly followed their footsteps despite the warnings, whether in this world or the next, and will have to stand to account for their deeds.

The incident that exposed him further as a hypocrite and active enemy of Islam was one in which the prophet's household was targeted. He was the instigator of the slander against Aisha, called in the history books al-ifk. Aisha had accompanied the prophet on one of his journeys and was inadvertently left behind. During a stop, she had left the camel carriage so as to relieve herself at a distance, and upon her way back the group had already left. As she says herself, the carriers of the enclosed cabin had no reason to suspect anything unusual, or inquire if she was fine or ready to go 

"The group of people who used to carry me, came and carried my howdah on to the back of my camel on which I was riding, considering that I was therein. At that time women were light in weight and were not fleshy for they used to eat little (food), so those people did not feel the lightness of the howdah while raising it up, and I was still a young lady". 

Among Muslim women the prophet's wives were the ones with the most intergender interaction, as they provided religious counsel and received the prophet's guests. Of course this excluded frivolous talk. Luckily for her Safwan b. Muattal, always travelled behind the prophet's caravan. He was a man known for his piety and dedication to his task, and when he saw her at dawn, felt the call of duty so profoundly that beyond his exclamation as he recognised her "Inna Li l-lahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun" he did not waste any time. He did not seek to inquire what had happened to her and hastily 

"made his shecamel kneel down whereupon he trod on its forelegs and I mounted it. Then Safwan set out, leading the she-camel that was carrying me, till we met the army while they were resting during the hot midday". 

Those with a diseased heart found in this incident an opportunity to cause trouble to the Muslims. As a side note, women in general were allowed to participate in such expeditions, mainly as assistants and sometimes as fighters.

The prophet was informed of the people's talk prior to Aisha. Slander of a sexual nature, whether true or false, tarnish a person's honour, especially when it spreads beyond the household. It causes tension in a couple even if one of the two doesnt believe the public gossip. The prophet, who never accused Aisha of adultery was nevertheless troubled as any man would be. But being the well-mannered person he was known for, he avoided confronting Aisha for a whole month about it, firstly because she was ill during that time, and also to avoid giving any importance to the rumour that had just started. He would thus keep visiting her during her illness, without bringing up the issue. Neither did anyone among her family during that time. 

After a month had elapsed and she was cured, she accidentally came to know of the whole issue, which deeply hurt her. The prophet, after a month of incessant and injurious talk, instead of barging the door of his own house and confronting her alone, allows Aisha enough time to seek support at her parents' home. 

In the meantime, prior to even confronting her, he first consulted with some of his closest companions for advice. The prophet then discredited the accusation publicly so as to enhance the honour of both his wife and Safwan b. Muattal who were accused of wrongdoing. He stood at the pulpit and returned the accusation upon the one that initiated it, so as to paint the liar as guilty instead of the innocent 

“Oh gathering of Muslims! Who will help me against a person who has hurt me with slander about my wife? By God, I only know good about my wife. And they have mentioned a man with her concerning whom I only know good of as well". 

In his tact, the prophet speaks generically about the slander and its author. But the people themselves knew exactly what and who he was talking about, even those among ibn Salul's own tribe. A person among the Aws in the attendance, suggested ibn Salul should be killed. This revived the strong tribal sensitivities between Aws and Khazraj. The Khazraj did not condone ibn Salul's actions but did not like the idea of a foreign clan executing one of their own. It is to be kept in mind that the two clans had been stuck in a cycle of wars that ended with the prophet's arrival in Medina, just 5 years prior. These conflicts had decimated the elite in both camps, with only ibn Salul remaining from the old generation.

The prophet then calmed them down, and saw the time appropriate to openly talk about the matter to Aisha. He wanted to hear the truth from her own mouth, as any man in this situation would. Keeping in mind the prophet himself still did not know if Aisha was aware of the rumour, he nevertheless had to talk about it with her given the proportions it had now reached. So when he approached her, he did it gently, without dignifying the slander. He doesnt mention it directly but instead tells her that people are talking. He then says, should she be innocent of whatever these people are accusing her of, then Allah will protect her through revelation. 

He continues by gently saying that in case of guilt, it would have been because she "slipped". The implication is that anyone, including her, is open to mistakes. But in that case, as is repeatedly taught in the Quran, one should simply reform, repent and never lose hope of Allah's forgiveness. It is astounding that even in such a situation, the prophet was more worried of his wife's relation and duty to Allah than his reputation and honour and societal aspect of the whole matter. He does not tell her that whatever she is accused of has brought shame on his household and reputation. 

In Aisha's mind, because the prophet did as much as mention the matter, despite his tactful approach, was still considered hurtful to her. She still took it as if he had lingering doubts. In a very humane way, just as someone who knows to be innocent in the middle of an avalanche of slander, she felt powerless, that the people's minds, including of the prophet and her parents were made up regardless of what she says. As she left the matter to God, she then narrates how revelation descended upon the prophet, clarifying all things 24:11-20. 

The passage explains that the way it occurred, which includes the timing of the revelation was for a greater good. Revelation, as the Quran says in many places, doesnt come when prophets snap their fingers. This is further poof of the prophet's truthfulness as he could have immediately put out the fire and used the Quran to save his household's honour. Afterall it would have been impossible to falsify his claim of his wife's innocence. In hindsight we see till this day the far reaching consequences of rumour-mongering, and how Prophets arent immune to trials, including of this vicious kind. As history demonstrates, among the believer, prophets are most exposed to hardships. Through them, life lessons are enshrined forever. With that particular incident a believer learns how and when to act in a similar situation. What to say and what to keep, the manner and morals, the correct approach and timing, rights and duties are all made known because it was allowed to happen with the leader of the community who is looked up to as the prime example of conduct. So although Revelation descended in the context of these rumours, restoring the innocents' honour by God Himself while debasing the guilty, its application is timeless.

The prophet had a policy as regards hypocrites in general, consisting of ostracizing them. So despite the desire of some to execute him, he never went after ibn Salul but instead left his fate to God, as implicitly alluded to in the Quran 24:11. This isolation painted him in a corner of shame, even among his own people. Yet still, the prophet never took advantage of the situation so as to avenge himself

"Don't you see 'Umar if I had had him (Abdullah bin Ubai) killed, a large number of dignitaries would have furiously hastened to fight for him. Now, on the contrary, if I ask them to kill him, they will do so out of their own free will." 'Umar replied "I swear by Allâh that the Prophet's judgement is much more sound than mine". 

We even read that upon his death, the prophet attended his funeral and prayed at his grave. The 3 Muslims that accused an innocent woman without bringing forth any evidence were punished as prescribed in sura nur, then forgiven and reintegrated within the community, after their repentance. 

Per the Quran, the punishment for adultery and fornication is 100 lashes for both men and women who are considered equally guilty 24:2-3.  This shows that contrary to popular belief, stoning to death is a Biblical command, not a Quranic one, just as honor killing is found again in the Bible Gen34:1,31 not the Quran. The punishment for adultery in the Quran is preceded by an admonishment to the reader 

"a sura We have revealed and made obligatory and in which we have revealed clear communications that you may be mindful". 

It is a solemn warning against any attempt at widening or re-defining its injunctions. This refutes the traditional interpretation that the adulters must be stoned to death solely for this specific transgression. 

Islamic legislation, as will be shown below, provides guarantees which make it hard for injustice the like of which Aisha was accused of, to take place. It makes it almost impossible for punishment to be inflicted on the basis of suspicion or mistaken identity. Another thing to note is that Islam is a complete code of living, promoting a lifestyle that prevents transgression, such as with the various dresscodes and directives for gender interactions. That is why punishment becomes justified upon individuals that abandon this system in order to deliberately submerge themselves in filth. 

Per the Quran, physical punishment is followed by social alienation of those that are proven guilty of adultery, and that do not decisively repent and mend their ways. Their future marriages may only be between similar sexual offenders. In the process of delivering the prescribed punishment, no leniency is permitted. As a general rule in all offences, when the crime or offence is proven prior to the guilty repenting and mending his/her way, decisiveness and firmness of rule must be observed, and false sentiments, which harm the system of society, must be put away.

As stated in 4:25, the physical punishment for adultery is to be halved when it involves certain women, raised in particular difficult social conditions that may have affected their deed. If the punishment for adultery was death by stoning, then the very idea of halving the punishment of a woman would be absurd. Stoning to death cannot be halved. This verse also establishes that the social context of one caught should be taken into account, at least as far as the Quran is concerned.
 
The only time the Quran allows death to a crime (without specifying the execution method) as an extreme measure, among other severe measures, is murder 2:178 and spreading corruption in the land 5:33. And even in such cases, as well as others like theft where violent punishment is prescribed 5:38-40, physical punishment or death are only used against criminals who insist on transgression before the government is able to seize them. This speaks of people who actually have to be subdued by force so as to safeguard society. This is corroborated in the Arabic language where sariq (masc) and sariqa (fem) are adjectives and denote persistence in the qualified characteristics. 

Just as with the severe punishment for slander and adultery, the punishment prescribed here occur within a society where the just Islamic system is implemented as a whole, where its members earn their living fairly and have the entire right to enjoy it freely and securely, where a portion of their wealth is used to meet the needs of the less fortunate, and where such crime is totally unjustified. That is why when the Muslim state was stricken by famine under the second caliphate, that the government could not guarantee the needs of all of its citizen, Umar suspended the enforcement of the punishment for theft. When a camel belonging to a man of the tribe of Muzaynah was stolen by 2 men, Umar ordered their hands to be cut off. As it appeared that their master kept them hungry, he punished him instead, imposing on him a fine equivalent to the price of two camels. But when the Islamic law is implemented to its fullest, every person's basic needs are ensured. Theft, when it occurs in those conditions means it is a crime meant at increasing one's wealth and status at the expense of others, or at destroying property. The thief in that case is one that deems legitimate acquisition of wealth and status too difficult, so he seeks it through easier but illegitimate means, or has other mischievous intent.
The Quran then counters that perverse mindframe by making it even harder for the one proven guilty to seek wealth in a legitimate manner, permanently reducing him, both in his appearance and abilities.

The Quran does therefore mention the death penalty for certain transgressions. The question then arises as to why would it omit doing likewise in the context of adultery, which is spoken of in greater length than murder and fasad fil ard?

There are 2 ways to reconcile the ahadith of stoning in the times of the prophet and the caliphs, with the Quran. It is highly possible that the prophet imposed it prior to the revelation of sura nur, as some among the companions wondered 

"Narrated Ash-Shaibani: I asked `Abdullah bin Abi `Aufa about the Rajam (stoning somebody to death for committing illegal sexual intercourse). He replied, "The Prophet carried out the penalty of Rajam," I asked, "Was that before or after the revelation of Surat-an-Nur?" He replied, "I do not know".

As no other case of fornication requiring punishment was brought to the prophet until the prophet died, the caliphs afterwards kept practicing stoning based on ijtihad. The cases of stoning in the prophet's lifetime involved married persons and thus the caliphs restricted the words in sura nur to non-married fornicators, who would then be lashed.

Another possibility is that the cases of zina brought to the prophet, and whose details are not completely known, were judged as crimes of widespread corruption/fasad fil ard. The same applies to those cases brought to the caliphs.

The goal of punishments in Islam is to avoid spreading sins and protecting the society as a whole. For example after mentioning the law of retaliation in case of murder, the Quran says that such law is meant to "give life", ie to securize society because it is a powerful deterrent and another means of remaining God-conscious (taqwa) 2:178-9.

Zina in Islam is among the worst sins, due to its vicious ramifications, especially when made public as in the case spoken of in sura 24, hence the 100 lashes. The severity of the punishment for the sin, given the Islamic society in which it occurs, is at the level of its seriousness, and given that severity, a false accusation or an accusation not supported by 4 truthfull eyewitnesses results in 80 lashes for the accuser. The woman's testimony in that case has the same value as her accuser's. Both are made to solemnly swear, several times calling God to witness of their truthfulness and ultimately calling for God's curse on oneself in case of lie.

The Bible in contrast gives no benefit of the doubt to the accused wife, who is considered guilty by default and is made to undergo humiliating and strange rituals to prove her innocence Numbers5:11-31. Without forgetting the fact that in Jewish law, women arent even allowed to serve as witnesses in legal matters in a court of law. In fact a husband simply having feelings of jealousy does not have to take an oath that he is truthfully accusing her, it is the wife that is almost considered guilty by suspicion and who is made to undergo a ritual pertaining to the "law of jealousy". She is to be taken to the priest, along with an offering from her husband, where she is put under oath and God's curse is invoked on her if she is guilty. She is humiliated through the "loosening of her hair" (a bared head is considered a disgrace to a Jewish woman) and made to drink of a cursed, bitter water that will supposedly cause her intense suffering and possibly death in case she is lying. Clearly the biblical law offers no means by which to protect the unjustly accused, more particularly the woman in case of false calumnies. Just as was the case with other ancient nations whose fornication laws were primarily aimed at upholding the honour and property right of fathers, husbands, and higher-status groups.

In the Quran the accuser who cannot bring forth the evidence required will be considered untrustworthy in court 24:4,33:58. Exception is made for the one who sincerely repents, ie publicly withdraws his false accusation, and mends his ways 24:5. The twofold punishment prescribed will always act as a shock therapy that brings about repentance and moral reform. Repentance by the false witness however will not exempt him from physical punishment, which is the victim's legal right and which in addition discourages false testimonies as well as mere circumstantial evidence. Passing on a rumour of slander is a transgression of a lesser degree than issuing an accusation. It is the duty of the Muslim who comes upon such hearsay to assume the best of another and give a lie to the gossip 24:12.

The Quran clearly gives the benefit of the doubt to the one on the receiving end of an accusation. The aim is to put a stop to false accusations, slander and gossip. This mechanism makes sure that similar repercussions are returned upon the false accuser, physically and in his/her reputation. When a society allows its members to freely slander one another with no or very little preemptive measures, it potentially causes its own disintegration starting from the nucleus of the family. And none is safe from harm, from the regular citizen to the most respected authority, as illustrated with the incident of al-Ifk, to such an extent that it brought turmoil within the prophet's household for a full month, interrupting the normal course of affairs at the level of the state. 

Of course, in case one's accusation is true despite the lack of evidence, one is free to divorce the partner, but as basic common sense requires, one is not free to accuse another publicly without strong evidence. 

As can be seen the Quran in matters of chastity goes to great extents to protect the integrity of the righteous members of the community and the spread of sexual misbehaviour; first, in the case of real, proven cases, by providing a strong deterrent, ie the 100 lashes (or half in special cases). Second, in the case of calumnies, by providing a mechanism through which the potential accuser can hardly succeed in his/her scheme, risking bigger repercussions on the accuser than the accused. As a linguistic observation, it is worthwhile noting the Quran's eloquent choice of words as it speaks of slander with yarmuna, picturing one being pelted and injured, it omits the accusation altogether.

The burden of proof demanded by the Quran in cases of adultery is set at a nearly impossible threshold and as is clarified in the sharia, based on the prophetic guidance, the burden upon Muslim judges in cases of zina is not to seek conviction, but getting the individual to withdraw their confession, since practically speaking, due to the high standard of the testimony required, only confession leads one to be convicted. The Judge then encourages the accused to repent and live righteously, meaning What Jesus did in the NT. When a person came to the prophet confessing his adultery, he was repeatedly ignored so as to  to repent and mend his ways 

"A man from the tribe of Aslam came to the Prophet and confessed that he had committed an illegal sexual intercourse. The Prophet turned his face away from him till the man bore witness against himself four times. The Prophet said to him, "Are you mad?" He said "No." He said, "Are you married?" He said, "Yes." Then the Prophet ordered that he be stoned to death, and he was stoned to death at the Musalla. When the stones troubled him, he fled, but he was caught and was stoned till he died. The Prophet spoke well of him and offered his funeral prayer". 

Prior to delivering the sentence, the prophet tried to mitigate the self conviction so as to find him way out 

"Probably you have only kissed (the lady), or winked, or looked at her?" He said, "No, O Allah's Messenger!" The Prophet said, using no euphemism, "Did you have sexual intercourse with her?" The narrator added: At that, (i.e. after his confession) the Prophet ordered that he be stoned (to death)". 

The noble prophet is here trying to make him retract his statement so that his judgement is deferred to the hereafter 

"and whoever commits something of such sins and Allah screens him, it is up to Allah whether to excuse or punish him".

In a similar case the prophet kept postponing the verdict of an adulteress for 3 years 

"There the Ghamidi woman came and said: ‘Allah’s Messenger, I have committed zina (adultery), purify me’ but he turned her away. The next day she said: ‘Allah’s Messenger, why are you turning me away? Perhaps, you turn me away as you turned Ma’iz away. By Allah, I am pregnant.’ He said: ‘Then no (not now), go away until you give birth.’ When she gave birth, she brought the child to him wrapped in a cloth, and said: ‘Here he is, I have given birth.’ He said: ‘Go away and breastfeed him until he is weaned.’ When she had weaned him, she brought the boy to him, with a piece of bread in his hand and said: ‘Here, O Prophet of Allah, I have weaned him, and he is eating food.’ He handed the boy over to one of the Muslim men, then he ordered that a pit be dug for her, up to her chest and he ordered the people to stoned her".

This was the way of the prophet, he prioritized repentance and reform instead of retribution 

"While I was with the Prophet a man came and said, "O Allah's Messenger! I have committed a legally punishable sin; please inflict the legal punishment on me'.' The Prophet did not ask him what he had done. Then the time for the prayer became due and the man offered prayer along with the Prophet , and when the Prophet had finished his prayer, the man again got up and said, "O Allah's Messenger! I have committed a legally punishable sin; please inflict the punishment on me according to Allah's Laws." The Prophet said, "Haven't you prayed with us?' He said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Allah has forgiven your sin." or said, "....your legally punishable sin".

Because four people would have to be eyewitnesses to the adultrous/fornication act, then how could four people possibly see the act unless they were either commiting their lewdness with the intention of being seen by others (pornography, orgies, etc.) or so heedless that they were not concerned with whether or not someone sees them. Neither of these two things occur except in societies that have become extremely corrupt in regards to sexual morality. It is to be noted however, that the act of fornication, like all sins, remains unlawful even if hidden from the public 

6:120"And abandon outward sin and the inward one; verily those who commit sin soon shall be recompensed with what they used to commit".

As a side note, zina/sex outside the legal bonds, is included as a fahisha but not all fahisha are zina. Fahisha is a broader term that includes anything that is abominable, morally reprehensible, in words or deeds. In 4:15-16 we read of what is to be done in cases of fahisha in general. A woman convicted of fahisha through the testimony of 4 witnesses must be restrained. The Arabic does not entail confinement or imprisonment. She must by all means be prevented from continuing down her course 

"until death takes them or Allah makes a path for them". 

The "path" being, as said in the following verse, forgiveness and freedom in case of sincere repentance and reform. This is in contrast to the prophet-king David's alleged perpetual and unconditional imprisonment of his unfaithful concubines 2Sam20:3. Should the woman not show any signs of reform and insists in her will to misbehave even during the period of restrainment, then she is to undergo an unspecified physical punishment. That particular point is to be determined according to the judge's discretion, depending on the crime. For example if the fahisha is adultery/zina then the type of punishment is specified in sura 24. In all cases, that punishment is to be interrupted as soon as repentance and a clear will to mend her ways are expressed. 

Should the punishment not deterr her or awaken her conscience, then she is to remain in a life of confinement and occasional physical punishment until she decides to stop, repent and mend her ways. The man who is convicted and his crime testified by 4 witnesses must immediately undergo physical punishment, in contrast to women who are allowed a time of reflexion prior, to be interrupted if sincere repentance and will to reform are expressed.

Among all misdeeds included in "fahisha", only adultery requires public punishment. Adultery, when it is committed in such a way that 4 witnesses are able to testify to it, is an evil with far reaching damaging effects within the society. The guilty is made to face the most pious elements of the community during his punishment. The Quran describes these public witnesses as 

"a part of those who have believed".

 This symbolically shows the guilty that his or her act is one that threatens all uprightness, goodness in a community. It is interesting to note here the Quran's stress on the righteousness of the witnesses, those who are the least prone to such transgressions, which bellies the idea that the public nature of the punishment is meant as a deterrent to other potential sinners witnessing the culprit being punished. Rather, the idea of undergoing a severe physical punishment coupled with the humiliation of being exposed to the known pious members of the community is the deterrent. The eyewitnesses to the punishment also serve as a lever to control both the judge and the executer. No abusive punishment can this way be inflicted.

The 4 witnesses testimony is speaking of cases of consensual, non-marital sex. Rape is an aggression which isnt subject to the 4 witnesses rule. A woman is fully within her rights to go to the police and expect them to look for evidence such as DNA, finger prints, and other evidence to catch her rapists. Even the scholars that wrongly treat rape as fornication, have moved beyond the 4 witnesses requirements and have accepted these other factors as valid evidences. It is the verse 5:33 which applies to such a case, regardless of whether the aggressor has his way with the victim 

"Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr: When a woman went out in the time of the Prophet for prayer, a man attacked her and overpowered (raped) her. She shouted and he went off, and when a man came by, she said: That (man) did such and such to me. And when a company of the Emigrants came by, she said: That man did such and such to me. They went and seized the man whom they thought had had intercourse with her and brought him to her. She said: Yes, this is he. Then they brought him to the Messenger of Allah. When he (the Prophet) was about to pass sentence, the man who (actually) had assaulted her stood up and said: Messenger of Allah, I am the man who did it to her. He (the Prophet) said to her: Go away, for Allah has forgiven you. But he told the man some good words (AbuDawud said: meaning the man who was seized), and of the man who had had intercourse with her, he said: Stone him to death. He also said: He has repented to such an extent that if the people of Medina had repented similarly, it would have been accepted from them". 

The Bible speaks of rape cases, and their consequences. For example if a virgin pledged to another man is raped within city gates, but fails shouting out for help, then both are to be pelted to death. If the aggression occurs out in the field, where nobody would be able to hear her cries regardless, then she is cleared of "tacit consent" and only the rapist is executed Deut22:23-27. As to the case of a single girl, not pledged to any man, then the harsh punishment for the rapist is to pay a sum to the girl's father, marry the girl and never divorce her v27-28! The words in that verse denote coercion by the man, who is now free to keep raping his legitimate wife for the rest of her life. In short, although the Bible clearly mentions rape cases, it fails to prescribe a punishment for the rapist of a single woman who is not pledged to another man.

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. One 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 constitute 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.

Further reading:

- The Islam Issue "Why Muslims should not marry infertile women"

Quranic arguments for God

From a higher perspective, the Quran explains the reason for there being socio-economical, or even psycho-physical differences among humans. All human beings were created with the aim of being Allah's vicegerents on earth. We have been endowed with freewill -which asserts itself through tests and trials- and are compelled to use it to fulfill our role of vicegerency according to our degrees in this world 

6:165"And He it is Who has made you successors in the land and raised some of you above others by (various) grades that He might try you by what He has given you". 

This is according to the divine principles of the Greatest of Judges 11:45,95:8 that what is expected of a person is directly in correlation to that person's condition 65:7.

Just like some trees are made to excell others in fruits 13:4, we are raised in degrees and some of us made to excell others in certain aspects, whether physical or mental, social or economical etc, but it is all done according to an all encompassing wisdom and knowledge that takes into consideration every aspect of our being 6:83. However, if one disregards the materialistic mindframe that blurs the higher realities of existence, the level of difficulty in all cases can be said to be the same; the one with less worldly benefits (financially, in his health etc) has less avenues by which to be religiously and morally accountable but he is required to have a high level of inner discipline, patience and trust in God while the reverse is the case for the more advantaged in terms of worldly benefits; the burden on his inner discipline and steadfastness is less while the means given to him by which to be morally tested are manifold. He can be tested in his wealth, his health and other privileges.

A great part of Allah's scheme of testing the people through their choices in order to gradually purge the hearts, is to test us through our dealings with eachother 

25:20"and We have made some of you a trial for others; will you bear patiently? And your Lord is ever Seeing". 

One of the obvious proof for this is how most often individuals are endowed with benefits, material, physical or abstract, surpassing the basic and reasonable needs. All else will either vanish or be left behind after their passing away for others to benefit from. Through this scheme every human being becomes by virtue of his social existence, a means whereby the moral qualities of his fellow men are put to a test 

"I saw Abu Dharr al-Ghifâri wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a cloak. We asked him about that (how both were wearing similar cloaks). He replied: Once I abused a man, and he complained of me to the Prophet. The Prophet asked me, Did you abuse him by slighting his mother? You are a man who has jahiliyah. He added: Your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. So if one has one’s brethren under one’s control, he should feed them with the like of what he eats and clothe them with the like of what he wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear, and if you do so, help them (in their hard job)". 

As the HB puts it in 

Prov22:2"The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all". 

God is not only the maker of every human, but also of their conditions, through the laws of the material and physical world He has created, in which almost every 

outcome is the result of a previous action, except when Allah directly intervenes in the chain of causality. The people should therefore, regardless of their circumstances keep in view that ultimate reality in their dealings with oneanother. 

The Quran parallels the diversity in nature, as in the earlier metaphor of the fruit trees, with the system by which mankind is equally subjected to 6:165,11:118,30:22. As said many times in the Book, mankind could have been made a single nation, equal in all aspects, and spiritually upright 42:8. But Allah has decreed there will be diversity in creation whether physical, cultural, material or spiritual through the process of freechoice which was divinely established, sustained every step of the way and encompassed by Allah's power. God is thus ultimately the cause of these differences. To illustrate;

- Some people have been made by Allah to resist better to diseases, others are stronger, taller or more intelligent. This is due to the natural biological processes He established, that can either be triggered by internal reactions and mutations or/and influenced by external, environemental factors that are themselves subject to the divinely decreed law of causation which God dominates with His all encompassing wisdom and power at each instant.
- Some people have been made by Allah to believe, and others to err and this is due to the system of freewill He established and fully controls, according to which one's moral choices shape his spiritual condition and destiny, either darkening his inner spiritual receptivity or enlightening it and making it further receptive to external guidance.
- Some people have been made by Allah to enjoy more worldly, material benefits than others. This again, is the consequence of a chain of causality in God's grasp.

This diversity however isnt viewed in the Quran as a stain purposefully put on the human race. Neither is it allowed by God in order to confuse and separate people, or oppose them. Rather it is allowed, as an outcome of the established system of causality, as a driving force that creates interraction, interdependency, exchanges and positive understanding 

49:13"We have created you of a male and a female and made you nations and tribes that you may know each other. Indeed, the most honourable among you in the sight of Allah is the most fearful (of Allah) among you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing, Aware". 

This is one of the most compelling Quranic proof man is repeatedly told to ponder upon; the divine unity in the face of an interdependant diversity 

43:32"it is We who distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world, and raise some of them by degrees above others, to the end that they might avail themselves of one another's help". 

This is based on the wisdom that no human being should become independent of others, but everyone should remain dependent on the other in various ways 

"Once Sa`d (bin Abi Waqqas) thought that he was superior to those who were below him in rank. On that the Prophet said, "You gain no victory or livelihood except through (the blessings and invocations of) the poor amongst you". 

The Creator is in this way in total contrast with His creation; He is the Self-Sufficient, Sustainer of the universe at each instant. He causes endless, intricate varieties among His creation, through the natural processes He established, and the system of freewill on which He has full control. 

This system established by Allah ultimately creates a web of interdependant diversity necessary for one of the aspects of divine trials; our dealings with eachother. Many fail to perceive this ultimate reality and they are referred to in 

36:47"And when it is said to them: Spend out of what Allah has given you, those who disbelieve say to those who believe: Shall we feed him whom, if Allah please, He could feed? You are in naught but clear error".

God does indeed will for the deprived and weak to be helped, but according to the laws He has established and that benefit both the one who freely offers his help (emotional, material, physical, spiritual, intellectual), as well as the receiver of that help. Others raise an outcry and question divine justice in light of the fact that people are born with varying degrees of socio-economical as well as psycho-physical conditions. That questioning is answered through the divine scheme explained above, as well as the Quranic concept that 

2:156"Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed we towards Him will return". 

Our whole self belongs to Him and He in reality doesnt owe us a single thing, whatever we receive from Him, since birth and throughout life, little or big, is a favour from Him and serves a higher purpose which can only be beneficial if one accepts God's supreme ownership in all situations

11:9"If We make man taste mercy from Ourselves, (and) then take it off from him, verily he is despairing ungrateful". 

Neither self-conceit nor despair are appropriate if one admits that all things belong to God and return to Him when He decides.

The unbelievers of the time of the prophet disregarded lower social classes, disrespected and discriminated them. They mocked the assemblies of poor people and ex-slaves listening to the prophet, just like prophets were reproached before, the likes of Nuh 11:27-30, assuming that if Allah had truly sent revelation then why didnt He address the elite and rulers of whom Muhammad was not 43:31? In their limited, materialistic mindframe they considered themselves more deserving of divine favours 

6:53"And thus do We try some of them by others so that they say: Are these they upon whom Allah has conferred benefit from among us? Does not Allah best know the grateful?". 

The notion of interdependency, which will lead us to the concept of divine unity, is further pictured through the verses speaking of things created in 43:12,36:36,51:49"azwaj" means "in pairs". This refers to the complementarity prevalent in every single thing. This may include but is not exclusive to, sexual complementarity as in 30:21,16:72. There the Quran addresses the human specie, saying the availability of azwaj (male or female) from among ourselves is meant as a source of security, love and compassion. "azwaj" may be used interchangeably between male and female spouses 2:232,234. 

In the context of creation, some verses 53:45,92:3 mention the creation of the sexual pairs by specifying both genders created; male/dhakar and female/untha. But such verses do not make an absolute assertion that all things have been created that way -in opposite genders- or that all living things reproduce sexually. All languages inherently accept exceptions unless the statement is clearly absolute. The Original Creator may create whatever He wills then modify His original creation as He pleases and deems fit 24:45,35:1. He may even create without the mating of sexual pairs as with Jesus' case.

The primary meaning of zawj (plur.azwaaj) in the Quran, is alien to the sexual pairs, as seen in many instances where it is used 13:3,15:88,20:53,131,26:7,38:58,56:7-10. It denotes the kinds or types -some of them unknown to us 36:36- having common points, linked in a way or the other when used in the plural form. This is just as in any language that speaks of pairs without specifying if the pairing is gender based. The root is Z-W-J and it means when two or more things or people form a unit. 

The use of azwaj in those verses is one of the devices used by the Quran to emphasize the concept of interconnection and complementarity between all kinds created, even when these thing seem to be opposites. Take a pebble on the beach. The minerals that make up this insignificant pebble before it landed on the shore, have affected the cycle of life and induced a chain of events that led to our existence. The context of pairing in 43:12 for example has God saying how He made the earth a "resting place" for us, water coming down from the sky to allow life, ships, that man ingenuously builds using the material put at his disposal by Allah, and cattle for mobility among other uses. In 15:88 and others, the Quran tells the believers not to grieve or pay much attention to some kind (azwaj) of people -having in common their unbelief and hatred for Islam-. In 13:3-4 Allah says He made from all that the earth produces (thamaraat), 2 types. Just as day and night are 2 opposites but remain complimentary, the earthly products come in 2 opposites but complementary types. Those better than others, remain, from a higher viewpoint complementary although apparently opposites. The better one is appreciated thanks to its lesser counterpart it can be compared to, which in turn is the result of a process the plant goes through so as to reduce competition and bring the crop to fruition. 

Even among opposites there is interconnection on all levels, physical or spiritual, and that is the pervasive notion in all the verses speaking of pairing in nature.

The more profound message of the verses speaking of the "azwaj" in creation is understood by their context, which is always that of divine justice and providing proof for the resurrection of the dead and judgement in the next life. The Quran is essentially saying that everything in this varied nature has a complement, without which it is incomplete. If such a thing is the case and that all things have a complement, then how can one deny that this world has its complement in the next life? It is the underlying notion behind the oaths in suras shams/91 and layl/92. These verses depict the concept of interconnection in creation quite well. 

For instance although the sun and the moon, the night and day, light and darkness are seemingly opposing to one another as regards their appearance and temperament as well as the effects they cause, yet they are part of a global machinery in which they work in complete harmony with one another

36:40"Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake/tudrika the moon, nor can the night outstrip/sabiqu the day; and all float on in a sphere". 

Besides it being part of an intricate metaphor, the verse says that if one element or phenomenon oversteps its limits then disorder appears. This sends a message the creatures endowed with intellect and freewill, that they should respect the bounds set for them to prevent disorder. Tudrika is derived from D-R-K and it means reaching. The Sun is prevented from going out of its way and collide with the Moon. Similarly the phenomena of nighttime/daytime cannot ever overcome one another, if daytime comes, nighttime cannot impose itself. When a portion of the earth is facing the sun (daytime), the nighttime phenomenon cannot occur on this same area. The concept of harmonious order of entities and phenomena, each being restrained to its divinely decreed function or place, is a recurrent theme in the Quran.

 
Another example is that of the barrier between fresh and salt water. Those to whom the verse was primarily addressed, the Arabs, were land and sea travellers. They passed through estuaries and points where a river met the ocean to see both bodies of water mixing. The Arabic "bahr" means a vast water expanse, be it the ocean, a big river or lake. None of the verses 25:53,27:61,55:19 say that a barrier prevents them from mixing. In fact it clearly says that they meet and mix/maraja 55:19. The verse immediately follows by saying that despite this mixing, there is an unbreakable barrier between the 2 water types referred to earlier. And it is the phenomenon that sustains life on this earth by keeping the water types perpetually appart, salt and sweet, despite their perpetual mixing when they meet. The verse comes in the context of providing evidence of God's bounties, the primary example being exactly this, the constant phenomenon of having 2 distinct water types available, despite their continuous flow and mixing into one another. Had this phenomenon of evaporation and filtration of salt not existed, life as we know it would have been impossible 

55:21"Which then of the bounties of your Sustainer will you deny?" 

A river meeting the ocean without mixing is not a bounty from God and is irrelevant in stimulating the gratefulness of the reader and audience, which is the whole point of the passage. Another spiritual parallel the verses make with that phenomenon is the existence of 2 types of humans, the spiritually aware and the rest. In this world they mix and mingle on a physical level but will remain separate on the metaphysical sphere. But the Merciful has placed in everyone the potential to thrive spiritually, even the sinner, if he chooses to repent. And so, the verse also states that pearls can be harvested from fresh and saltwater, just as there is spirituality in the righteous as well as the sinner. The imagery is beautiful and uplifting, as opposed to the NT's exclusivist and racist notion of "avoid sharing your pearls with pigs" Matt7. Corals, as a side note, live and grow in seawater but may be found in rivers, such as the massive reef of the Amazon. Corals can also thrive in estuaries, where the 2 bodies of water meet.

In this world, the believers may suffer harm and hardship for adhering to the call of their morality, while the disbelievers profit. That reality can not always last, otherwise this world would be incomplete. Such verses pointing to the universal notion of inter-dependancy also make the believers heed to their own needs and vulnerabilities, whether from a physical/material sense or a spiritual sense, and how Allah alone is independent, self-sufficient 35:15,6:14. Everything is in need of Allah, the Qayyum (Self-subsisting) standing by Himself, the Hayy (Everliving) and all the universe stands because of His eternal endurance, maintainance of life in each instant 2:255,3:2. 

A further metaphysical argument for God's oneness is the pervasive Quranic style of attributing to Allah the consequence of a man's actions, even for the most insignificant things. It is meant to remind that the laws of the universe are caused then allowed by Him, He is the only Independent Cause and the Creator. 

Every automated process we know in this world is designed by many engineers working hard at it. If anyone claims automation can exist without a designer, onus is on him to prove this speculation. Science has no way of knowing if something happened accidentally or there was a planner behind it. Any such claim is as big a superstition as many of the superstitious ideas primitive people used to have. Allah is the Creator of all things in the universe which is why He is consequently 

13:16"the One, the Supreme". 

He is unique and encompassing every thing that exists, and what humans "create" (the verb is used for humans too 29:17) is nothing more than the combination and reshaping of what Allah has already created. That is why He is the best of creators 37:125,23:14. He is 

2:117"badeeu/Innovator and initiator of the heavens and the earth" 

meaning that in His case, contrary to all creative endeavours, He creates without any blueprint, preexisting inspiration, experience, simply through His word 

"and if HE decreed an order done, He only says be and it is". 

In an absolute, pure sense the capacity to create thus belongs to God alone and this is the underlying notion behind other statements like God being the best of those who show mercy despite others being merciful too, the best of the providers 5:114,34:39 the best of judges 10:109 because he is 11:45,95:8"the most just/wisest of judges" or the best of helpers 3:150 being the Almighty that can never be defeated. 

He is the ever-living/al hayy and al qayyum/the standing ie ever remaining, unchanged 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, independent entity. He relies on none other than Himself to subsist 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. 

These appellations therefore when used in their absolute sense, can only be meant for God 

7:180,20:8"to Him belong the most perfect names". 

More subtly He is 

112:2"Allahu ssamad". 

Samad stems from s-m-d which has a wide variety of nuances. All of them, as reported by the companions and the earliest lexicographers, point to the notion of dependancy of others unto the entity on which the word is applied. IT may be applied to God or created entities. But since the created entities always need another samad, and that ultimately every creation depends on Allah in all aspects of existence, only Allah truly possesses that quality in full. 112:2 literally says "Allah IS THE SAMAD" ie Allah is the Self-sufficient source of all needs. 

This verse, more particularly this word "samad" is key in providing philosophical argument for God's existence, through the negation of infinite regress. If, as atheists suggest, this universe does not depend on a first, non-contingent cause, and that it is instead the result of an infinite series of past events then by definition this current universe could not have existed. This is because it would have had to wait for an infinite amount of time past for it come into being. As stated by Al-Ghazali 

"Each number has no end, yet some of them are less than others. This is clearly impossible". 

And 

"In the world there are events with causes. If these events depend upon other events without end, this is impossible and cannot be believed by a rational person". The prophet said "Satan will come to one of you and he will say, ‘Who created this and that?’ until he says to him, ‘Who created your Lord?’ When it comes to this, let him seek refuge in Allah and stop such thoughts". 

We should seek refuge from Allah from asking "who created Allah" not because there is no argument against it, but because the amount of arguments for God's existence as are given both in Quran and ahadith are so manifold and easy to grasp, that the question itself is absurd 

52:35"Were they created by nothing? Or were they the creators of themselves? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain". 

It is a whisper by the devil so as to confuse a simple matter with counterintuitive arguments of infinities and probabilities. 

Nothing escapes causality, in the universe, down to our rational, thinking process which is dependent on it 

"i think therefore i am". 

In contrast things behave unexpectedly on a quantum level. Since subatomic particles form the building blocks of observable reality, does it then follow that observable causality isnt real? That proposition is used by those seeking to solve the problem of infinite regress without resorting to the necessary being. Quantum physics is still in its infancy, meaning it is desperate to appeal to it and rush to conclusions radically contradictory to an observable, testable, repeatedly predictable macro reality. So regardless of what is assumed to be happening on a quantum level, one still cannot escape that we can repeatedly predict the exact effect of a cause on the macro level, meaning we still cannot escape asking what causes these observations. If it isnt due to quantum interactions, then to what? If it is due to quantum activity, then where do these laws even come from? Also, there are probabilistic patterns even on a quantum level. There isnt complete lack of causality, like tiny unicorns popping out. 

Should we deny causality altogether, both on quantum and observable levels, that absolute nothingness preceded the universe, then what is being done at most is denying material causality. At that point we are still justified, rationally, logically, in looking for causality elsewhere, on a metaphysical level, for what caused nothingness to give birth to the universe. Ironically, the most supernatural, magical, sorcery position is that of those arguing against the necessary being, preferring the idea of something popping out of nothing.

We can certainly not invoke randomness as the original cause, for then we would need to explain the predictability of causality within our world, while chaos dominates outside of it. That notion is pervasive throughout the Quran, with statements that the universe follows Truth, that it isnt the result of purposelesness. No accidents exist in a purposeful universe and nothing is unexpected from God's perspective. The Quran pictures that reality as applying to the material world, as well as what, from our limited perspective perceive as random actions of our own volition 57:22-4. 

Neither can cyclical dependency cause our universe as their cannot be an initial cause in a never ending cycle. 

Fundamentally, Why wouldnt logic, reason, causality fit outside the universe just as it does within? Going by this reasoning, how can one be sure logic holds 1 second from now, or 1 million years away from earth? Why the arbitrary lawlessness outside the universe and not somewhere within it?

If we take out the time factor from the universe as proposed by B-Theorists, again, so as to solve the problem of infinite regress without having a necessary being, then the laws of entropy dictate that given enough time this universe will progressively lose heat, dilute and die out. If it regresses infinitely in the past, the universe should have been a dead, cold, dark place by now.
The fact is that all B-Theory models of a timeless universe are highly speculative, just like any other model removing basic observable facts of life, like time and causality. 

Atheists want to prevent the question of what came "before" the big bang since time itself began at the big bang. If that is the case, there cannot have been a "before" that caused it. Besides the paradoxical notion of having something that is both contingent and non-contingent, ie the big bang, cases of cause and effect occurring simultaneously are plentiful. For example jumping in a pool results in water splashing. The cause (body entering the water) and effect (water splashing) are distinct and simultaneous. In fact science itself has been trying to determine, through various models and notions, what occurred "before" the big bang, causing the universe to come into being from non-being. Time simply is the observable change in finite things. And the universe is a finite thing. So one may legitimately ask what brought about the change resulting in the big bang? Most physicists will argue that it was a former universe collapsing, or quantum membranes colliding. This however doesnt resolve the problem of contingency and infinite regress.

Looking at a present event like water flowing, independently of the time factor, we may ask Why does water flow? Why do its atoms bind in such a way? Why are electrons charged the way they are? Etc until we arrive at the fundamental reason that determines these phenomena and which is itself necessary as it is. The mechanical reason why water flows cannot regress infinitely, it has to start at some point

 56:71-2"And have you seen the fire that you ignite? Is it you who produced its tree, or are We the producer?" 

This is another simple phenomenon observable to anyone, and which broadly addresses the impossibility of infinite regress. The verse jumps from the final result in a chain of contingency (the fire) to its most obvious cause (the tree that provides wood) which itself doesnt escape contingency. Just as the unexplainable phenomenon of life cannot regress infinitely and must have initiated in lifeless matter 

15:26"And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud". 

This implies a necessary being, the Unique Creator Who brings things into being the first time, which are all nuances of the term badii 

6:101"Originator of the heavens and the earth". 

He is the Creator Who gives the initial spark in all things, sustains every intricate mechanism allowing water to flow, fire to burn, or giving life to mankind from dust, just as He sustains every other mechanism in the universe without break 

2:255"Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth". 

The independent cause is thus constantly sustaining the universe in all of its most intricate aspects and needs 

20:49-50"[Pharaoh] said, "So who is the Lord of you two, O Moses?" He said, "Our Lord is He who gave each thing its form and then guided [it]". 

Pharaoh believed himself to be a god, but he could not claim to be the necessary being. Like any other created thing, he knew he was contingent, with a beginning and an end, that he is limited by space. Allah, on the other hand 

57:3"He is the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner, and He is, of all things, Knowing".

Nothing precedes or outlasts Him, nothing is above or beyond Him both in terms of space and knowledge. God is the only eternal, all encompassing entity. How futile is it then to direct worship to anything within the realm of contingency 

41:37"And of His signs are the night and day and the sun and moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostate to Allah, who created them, if it should be Him that you worship".

So when pressed to identify on Whose behalf he was speaking, Moses said the Necessary Being upon whom all things depend for creation as well as functioning

34:24"Say, "Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth?" Say, "Allah. And indeed, we or you are either upon guidance or in clear error". 

The answer to the rhetorical question is here quickly given, leaving no room to speculations. The implication is that any contrary position is that of error and delusions, how can anyone rely on anything else than the necessary being that supersedes all contingency? 

55:26-9"Everyone upon the earth will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. Whoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He is bringing about a matter". 

The idolaters are repeatedly described in the Quran as recognizing the existence of the Creator as the unique, uncaused cause of all things. Besides their deviations in belief, such as ascribing partners to Him in the dominion, they however in great majority denied the concept of return, let alone accountability before Him in the hereafter. The prophets therefore stressed a complete, comprehensive picture of creation; the very idea of an origin implies a return of all elements to the originator 

27:64"He, Who brings creation into being, then brings it back, and Who provides for you from Heaven and the earth" 

The necessary being therefore is upon Whom all things rely, He can never be detached from creation for a single instant or else all things fall apart 32:5,65:12,30:25,22:65,35:41. This is particularly pointed out in the verses speaking of Allah's establishing Himself upon the throne. 

Further, How do we know the necessary being, the uncaused cause, is a volitional, sentient, self aware entity? 

Firstly, as is seen in the universe, whenever there is a cause, the effect must follow. In the famous example by Al Ghazali, as soon as the sun rises, there is light. Similarly, if the First Cause is a mechanical, non volitional entity, then the effect, ie creation/the universe, must have existed since infinity, not approx 14 billion years ago. He would be forced to create by his very nature as the initial cause, making him limited and contingent on factors outside his control thus taking us back to the problem of infinite regress. That is why the necessary being must be sentient, having freedom of choice, choosing to create at a particular time. 

Second, we see patterns in the universe indicating intentionality. It is further impossible to have 2 independent creators, one deciding to create, the other not. They would limit one another in power and will. And limitations entail contingency, taking us back to the problem of infinite regress.

On a factual level, if we abandon the world of speculations and illusions, we are in a contingent, dependent, temporal universe that follows patterns. This is itself sufficient proof that a necessary being exists who intentionally caused it to be. This higher power must be greater than the universe and not dependent upon anything to sustain itself. These points are stressed over and over again in the Quran, including in sura ikhlas. The contingency argument leads to the necessary being. Metaphysical deductions based on observation of this world cannot go beyond an elementary notion of the necessary being. Human reasoning alone will never attain to knowledge that is beyond experience, such as the various concepts and realities of the unseen. That is the job of revelation to explain. But revelation also states that it shall not describe the fullness of what is currently beyond the reach of human perception. This includes things or concepts like the divine essence, the attributes of God, the realities of the unseen such as angels, heaven and hell. Some of those will appear in their full reality in the hereafter, once the veil of the unseen is lifted and human vision becomes as sharp as steel 50:22,19:38. Other realities remain beyond perception even once humans attain the hereafter. The superiority of the Muslim position in its argumentation for the existence of the necessary being is that its global perspective, using logic, reason, observation, together with revelation does not result in any form of difficulty and contradiction. Divine transcendence is always maintained. The same cannot be said for the way the necessary being is expressed in the other monotheistic faiths.

The Quran gives the basis for which to build upon arguments for God's existence, for both the ancient and modern mind 

3:190"In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding/ulul albab" 

the prophet stated in regards to this verse 

"Woe to he who recites it but does not contemplate it’s (meaning)". 

The expression ulul albab stems from the lub which is the inner core of the fruit. In the highly symbolic language of the Arabs, the expression implied that wisdom is deeper than the shell, that one finds nourishment, physical and mental, from seeking the inside of things. The verse is saying that Signs surround us, but are only accessible to those who delve into the inner core of things. Ibrahim is the prime example given in the Quran. As he saw the alternations of night and day, cosmic bodies coming and going, he concluded that there must be something greater than all of them, subjecting them to change, limiting them. Intuitively, the supreme power behind all things is one that is not subject to change, limits, dependency. "Allahu samad" encapsulates that notion. That is how Ibrahim delved into the core meaning of the surrounding occurrences, deriving the signs from them.

Since the creator is always involved with His creation on a material level then shouldnt He also answer the need of the only creature endowed with the capacity to deduce the existence of the Creator? If not, why are we made with that ability, why is our default mental disposition to believe in unseen phenomena? The necessary being is volitional and unlimited, He sustains all causality, but how do we know that He wants us to submit to him? Firstly, submission entails acceptance of a command. If one chooses how to submit it doesnt entail it is as the superior entity desires it. That is where revelation and prophecy come into play, as pledged to Adam and his wife when they left the garden 20:123.

It is well known that genetically, humans are programmed to see life forces – a phenomenon called hypersensitive agency detection – everywhere we go, regardless of whether they’re there or not. Scientists say this might be an ancient defense mechanism that helped us avoid concealed danger, such as lions crouched in the grass or venomous snakes concealed in the bush, but that it also made us "vulnerable" to inferring the existence of invisible agents, such as a benevolent God. That mechanism, labelled "System 1" also encourages us to see things dualistically, meaning we have trouble thinking of the mind and body as a single unit. This tendency emerges quite early: young children, regardless of their cultural background, are inclined to believe that they have an immortal soul. For these reasons, many scholars believe that religion arose as “a byproduct of our cognitive disposition”, ie it would be cognitively unnatural to not believe, and to think of oneself in a non-dualistic way, which is why atheists (Atheism itself is a very recent phenomenon) must fight against that natural urge to believe in an existence with a purpose, that they are a part of something bigger, that life isn’t completely futile. 

Even those who explicitly describe themselves as non-believers, still harbor superstitious and non-rational thought processes. It is also established that inscribed in our DNA, there is a moral compass and sense of justice making us, since the youngest age, prefer good than bad actions.

It is the general guidance referred to 20:50 and instilled in all humans without exception. The Quran thus establishes that man is hardwired with a connection to its Creator. In reference to that intimate relation, the prophet said 

"He who knows his soul knows his Lord". 

On the other hand the Quran warns 

59:19"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their own souls". 

If one ponders on the Quranic argumentation for the divine, one notices that it doesnt try demonstrating God's existence, but rather corrects how humans are to perceive Him and His attributes. Throughout human history, accepting the existence of a deity was not an issue, rather the problem lied in the inability to recognize His true attributes and the manner He interacts with creation.

Surah Ikhlas powerfully captures divine unity, self-sufficiency and uniqueness from the point of view of his attributes, 

112:1-4"He is Allah, AHAD/One". 

AHAD literally translates to "one of", meaning one of His type. One might come back and argue that it is possible for an entity to be unique typologically but it does not negate that other entities might be comparable to it. For example a cat is comparable to a dog although individually they are typologically unique. There are people, namely the Trinitarians who do not deny God's numerical oneness, rather deny directly or indirectly the oneness of His essence which is shared through different typological entities father/son/holyspirit. The rest of the sura negates that proposition through several irrefutable arguments. If Allah was not typologically unique, that there were other types of entities like Him, then they would have some kind of intrinsic power to influence the functioning of the universe. This is the known problem of the imperfect wording in what is supposed to be the ultimate declaration of monotheism in the HB 

Deut6:4"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One/Echad". 

The wording here although similar to Arabic, negates there being more than one God to Israel, but it doesnt deny the existence of other gods in general. The Quran thus clears the matter, saying that intrinsic power is Allah's prerogative, He is the God upon whom all things depend/samad. Further, none is comparable to Him in any way; 

"Say: He, Allah, is AHAD, Allah is He on Whom all depend, He begets not, nor is He begotten, And none is like Him". 

Allah is therefore supremely One and that is why most translators rendered AHAD in this context as simply "One", encompassing both numerical and typological singularity. We are never told that Allah ascended at some point in time to the role he has throughout the Quran. Allah isnt merely another high god like Marduk, Baal, or Zeus who all took on their position at some point. Allah is the one and only God and has always held the highest position among all of creation, heavenly and wordly. He is never generated nor is limited by anything or anyone 

"when He wills a thing He says "Be" and it is".

He is unique in the midst of diversity 30:22, complementarity, and polarity amongst the various kinds in the universe that work in interconnection. It is one of the major signs man is asked to ponder upon 

51:49"And of everything We have created azwaj (different kinds) that you may be mindful" 

2:164,89:3"Consider the multiple and the One". 

Through all these means and devices 

3:18"Allah (Himself) bears witness that there is no god but He". 

Sura ikhlas is the most explicit statement of tawhid, of the whole Quran. It clears the confusion of those who conjecture on the oneness of the Creator from every aspect. Allah is "one of" His type, but at the same time there is no origin or likeness to His kind. 

38:65-8"and there is no god but Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all). The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the Mighty, the most Forgiving".

 Every single time the Quran mentions Allah subduing all of creation, it is preceded by an emphasis on His uniqueness. What necessarily follows from that statement is that neither one that preceded Him has shared that essence, nor one that is begotten by Him. He, in His uniqueness is the subduer of all things outside of Himself. An entity that is unique in every possible way means that there cannot be any point of comparison which one could use in order to begin to imagine Him. Any attempt to compare Him remains infinitely far from His actual reality 

42:11"nothing like a likeness of Him".

These verses speaking of things made in "azwaj" end with 

"there are signs in this for a people who understand". 

Only those devoid of the correct mindframe; intellectual observation through spiritual insight, are unable to appreciate the portent of the signs which the verses direct them to, unable to see the singularity and unity of the Creator opposite the interdependant diversity of creation. Hence, right after God being the ultimate witness to divine unity, the verse 3:18 continues by praising the heavenly creatures and those who have the correct mindframe and thus are able to recognize the higher realities 

"Allah (Himself) bears witness that there is no god but He, and (so do) the angels and the possessors of knowledge, standing firm for justice". 

 The Quran uses simple logical deductions based on the signs in the heavens and earth testifying to the unity of a Single, uncreated and independent Cause. On a philosophical level, the implication from the observance of the universe is that there must have been a single, uncaused cause of all things. This denies the simultaneous existence of several gods. Multiple deities would naturally compete with oneanother, affecting the order of the universe. Having different needs and interests, they would issue contradicting commands

17:111"And say: ‘(All) Praise is Allah’s, Who has not taken unto Him a son; nor has He got any partner in the Sovereignty; and there is not for Him any helper out of humbleness.’ And magnify Him with all magnificence". 

A quick look at the mythologies of polytheist beliefs all throughout the history of mankind, confirms this 

21:22"If there had been in them any gods except Allah, they (the heavens and the earth) would both have certainly been in a state of disorder" 

17:42"If there were with Him gods as they say, then certainly they would have been able to seek a way to the Lord of power" 

23:91"never was there with him any (other) god-- in that case would each god have certainly taken away what he created, and some of them would certainly have overpowered others; glory be to Allah above what they describe!". 

If Allah had partners and more than one god had ruled over the world, each of these gods would have managed and established his control over the realm of his own creations. Consequently different parts of the universe would end up being managed under different laws and systems. Disorder in the universe would ensue but this does not accord with the unity of creation that we witness around us, governed by laws that are the same everywhere in the heavens and the earth.

 This incredible coordination is known by the most atheists of physicists as being on the thinnest of razor edges, where the slightest variation will throw the entire system into disarray. The only conclusion, for those endowed with the proper knowledge, one that works side by side with spiritual awareness, is that the whole thing is designed and in constant control, maintenance and sustenance by a Unique, and Sole Creator 15:21,20:50,25:2,59:1,80:19,87:2-3. 

Multiplicity inevitably leads to differences and in such a vast, intricately related universal system, as described throughout the verses pointing to complementarity in creation, these differences would lead to chaos and opposition instead

27:64"Is He [not best] who begins creation and then repeats it and who provides for you from the heaven and earth? Is there a deity with Allah? Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful". 

Here the Quran states a powerful truth; as the imprint of intelligent design becomes more apparent with every scientific advancement, so to is the fact that the uncaused cause beyond contingency must be singular. Every attempt to explain the existence of the universe in such an evidently planned and deliberate state without acknowledging God’s existence and oneness has proven logically unsustainable. 

Polytheism equally inevitably leads to the idea of gods begetting children and being begotten 16:20 succeeding oneanother or relying on one another in times of incapacity. The necessity of a single, all encompassing God, preceding all things and outlasting them, incorporeal and self-sufficient denies that concept. Sura ikhlas intricately and eloquently discusses and refutes that idea.

Atheists many times argue that the multiplicity of gods across all belief systems entails that all are equally invented, how can one discern truth from falsehood? But, the premise doesnt follow the conclusion, just as the multiplicity of theories to explain something doesnt entail all are false. By a set of logical, testable, rational standards, one can fairly easily filter down the possibilities to a fraction. Similarly the multiplicity of religions can be narrowed down to a few; it should be God-centric, since divinely revealed. It should consequently claim to be the only truth. Being God-centric, it should be universal, all inclusive across every people of the earth, and survive the test of time. This makes it relevant to all aspects of human life, not only from a spiritual and ritualistic perspective, but also social, economical, even political. It must be authentic so as to be a point of spiritual reference, knowledge of God, moral betterment and finally without the trace of any human involvement. Interestingly no other revelation than the Quran claims to be error free, nor protected from corruption in the future sense. No other revelation provides a falsifiable test for all times, not only from the viewpoint of consistency but also from the viewpoint of replication; the linguistic miracle is beyond human capacity.

Our universe was and is continuously created with wisdom and purpose. Such wisdom and purpose are always tied to God's mercy; from the alternation of the day and night providing us with periods of rest and activity 30:23, down to the very clothes we wear which the Quran refers to as "coming down from heaven", everything around us is filled with obvious signs of His power, providence and wisdom, to the point that whichever way one turns his gaze, from the smallest to the biggest 

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

The vastness and complexity of the universe are among the evidences put at mankind's disposal, of the might and all encompassing knowledge of the supreme Creator, as well as the relative insignificance of the human being from the point of view of creation and consequent resurrection 

40:57,79:27,65:12"It is Allah Who has created the seven heavens and the earth and from the later the like thereof. His Command descends between them at all times that you may know that Allah is Omnipotent over all things and His Omniscience encompasses surrounds all things". 

The Quran treats contemplation on that amazing creation as a means by which one may worship the Creator 

3:190-1"Verily in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day, there are signs for the possessors of intellects. Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and mediate on the creation of the heavens and the earth, (seriously saying) 'Our Lord! You have not created (all) this in vain! Glory be to you! Save us then from the torment of the Fire'". 

Besides size and complexity, beauty itself is a factor the Quran stresses as an equally important sign pointing to the Creator. Evidently, things could have looked much different than they do and yet even the most common things like an ant or the moon, when observed closely fill us with awe.

Each of God's attributes manifests itself in some way in our world, to provide mankind with indications of a superior being. If we take His attribute of power for instance, among the most compelling and mind-blowing manifestations of it is the physical universe, unceasingly amazing and confusing the greatest minds that ever lived, the deeper they observe and ponder upon it 

67:3-4"Who created the seven heavens one above another; you see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent Allah; then look again, can you see any disorder? Then turn back the eye again and again; your look shall come back to you confused while it is fatigued". 

The discovery of countless worlds beyond our solar system, all stranger than the other in terms of their inner conditions, enhance even further the significance of the signs of nature man is repeatedly told to ponder upon, testifying to God's bounty. When one sees how improbable it is for life to be sustained in this seemingly boundless universe, and yet how flourishing it is in our world, how could one negate intent and purpose in creation? And when one adds the element of ease and all encompassing control over originating and sustaining the universe, then how could someone argue that our relative insignificance entails disinterest from the Creator? The more we look into the universe, the more there is in fact indication that we are not insignificant. 

Looking closer to us is the moon. It controls the length of the day and ocean tides, which affect the biological cycles of lifeforms on our planet. The moon also contributes to Earth's climate by stabilizing Earth's spin axis, offering an ideal environment for life to develop and evolve. The size ratio between the earth and its satellite is unique from all the worlds observed until now, and it is this ratio that allows these vital phenomena to occur 

25:2"It is He who has created all things and ordained them in due proportions". 

The self-evident truth in the cosmos of intelligent design is among the major arguments stressed by the messengers. Casting doubt on this clear truth is at odds with human nature 

14:10"Their messengers said, "Can there be doubt about Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth?". 

The passage continues, saying that this reality is self evident to the extent that one can literally see God's imprint in the universe 

14:19"Have you not seen that Allah created the heavens and the earth in truth?" 

The existence of a Creator is now clearer than it ever was. In this age we live in, miracles in the sense of occurrences that bend the expected laws of nature are obsolete. Although the general scenery of creation described in the Quran as a sign to reflect upon is enough to alert the conscious heart to the miracles surrounding us, the advanced tools at our disposal have magnified these miracles to an unprecedented degree, ironically the very tools of those who are often the first to deny God's existence. Those whose minds are bent at denying it are left with nothing more than engaging in sophistry, pushing the boundaries of probabilities to unreasonable extent so as to allow for the most infinitesimal chance for doubt. In the meantime, anywhere mankind concentrates its most advanced scientific observation, the more the signature of an intelligent design is apparent. This reality applies to the vastness of the universe down to machine like programming of the DNA. An entity capable of initiating massively complex information must have preceded all things. That entity must, as a consequence be transcendental ie beyond matter, as well as unbound by time and space which both had a beginning. 

There is an impressive amount of theories to explain the great mystery of how the very first gene and self replicating molecule originated, among them one that focuses on montmorillonite clay. This abundant, inorganic blend of minerals is known to be a chemical catalyst, the crucial precursor to RNA formation, as well as a means by which chemical reactions can be confined and protected until the possible development of cellular membranes. But until now science has been unable to test and repeat any of those suggestions, including the clay model, to produce the first living cell. Even on a theoretical level, the attempts to explain the pathway from non-living to living matter have so far not achieved the states of complexity that are anywhere near that of the simplest known living systems. In fact some have began arguing that the "p-value" (calculated probability for a hypothesis to be true) for nature to produce the complexity of the genetic code is so small that it should be soundly rejected by science. The only counter to this inevitable conclusion is the multiverse theory, the existence of an infinite number of unseen, untestable entities, which is actually just a way of conceding that the only alternative to obvious reality is utter absurdity. The notion of Multiverse is a fallacy. Practically, it is impossible to have a sum of finite things, as is the case of our universe. Each entity in itself must be infinite. If one universe is destroyed, does it result in infinity minus 1? In an infinite pile of marbles, if 2 are taken out, can the rest remain infinite? Further, If one universe is measurable, it must be finite. One cannot measure distances between 2 points in an infinite entity, as it entails that what is beyond these 2 points is measurable. The fact is infinity is an abstract concept inapplicable to anything known and observable in the universe. Even in theory, where do we begin counting and how does an object reach any point in infinity if it goes back endlessly meaning it never started? It is impossible to traverse infinity. One cannot postulate a possibility that is not only counterintuitive, inapplicable in real world, but that also has strong, testable, numerous arguments against it.

Only intelligent minds can produce significant levels of functional information. Since even the simplest lifeforms require high levels of information, the scientific evidence for intelligent design becomes impressive. Even then, one still has to explain how does intelligent design initiate an information without any previous examples, references, experiences. This, the Quran answers through the phrase 

2:117"badeeu/Innovator and initiator of the heavens and the earth". 

The connotation of the word is that, contrary to all creative endeavours, He creates without any blueprint, preexisting inspiration, experience. He does so through His word 

"and if HE decreed an order done, He only says be and it is". 

This is why God is the "best of creators".

This vast universe is a highly complex entity that will keep on evading man's grasp despite his ability to observe it and physically test it. Its complexity is such that God even swears by 

91:5"the building of it" 

as denoted with the impersonal "ma". That complexity however does not entail difficulty to Allah, who brought it to existence through His creative word "Be". 

The Egyptians adopt Moses

The Quran relates in 28:7-14 the powerful story of Moses' infancy, when he was adopted by the Egyptian nobility and was thus saved from being slaughtered as was decreed by the Pharao against the newborns of the enslaved Israelites. As soon as he was born, through inspiration, God communicated to Moses' mother that, despite the clear danger, she should keep him and care for him so long as the threat did not become imminent. But when it did, she was to put him in a chest, and release him upon the river, while fully trusting that he will eventually be brought back to her and further reassured that he will be honored as a prophet 20:38-40. 

Someone unspecified among Pharao's family (the HB says in Ex2 it was Pharao's daughter) found him drifting along the river and brought him back to the household, where Pharao's wife pleaded for his life and proposed the idea of adopting him. In a specific time where newborn males were being slaughtered, it would have surely been suspicious to find an infant drifting along the river, even moreso should he be found by the royal family who was directly treathened by the potential rise of an individual who would cause them troubles. The most obvious outcome in that case would be to murder him or leave him to die, as was being done to the other infants. 

The Quran however sheds an important light upon this part of the story, stating it was a miracle in itself that Moses was taken up, in addition by the Egyptian elite who had every interest in having him killed 

20:39"And I cast down upon you love from Me (that every one may love you), and that you might be brought up before My eyes". 

As he was definitely taken up, Moses' grieving mother told his sister to observe the situation from afar in order that she might be informed of the evolution of the situation. It is interesting to note at this point the subtle nuances, again loaded with meaning between the Quran's account and the convoluted and improbable one in the HB, where Moses' sister immediately shows up after Moses was picked up by Pharao's daughter to propose the idea of taking him to a foster mother from among the Israelites. This naive depiction of the event shows a simple minded Egyptian unable to uncover the obvious plot, from among the tyrant's own household, temporarily returning a newborn from among those that were ordered to be slaughtered, back to the Israelites, as soon as she found and recognized his ethnicity, and without any valid explanation, followed by the request to have the infant's return some time later, before any real bond existed between him and his future adoptive family. Moses supposedly returns as a grown child, to live among and be accepted by the unsuspecting Egyptian nobility and Pharao himself who had no previous contact with him. He was raised by Pharao's daughter, which is another improbability if we consider the Pharao being RamessessII.

The Quran on the other hand does not speak of any interraction between Moses' sister and the Egyptians that found him, until the appropriate time came and his adoptive family had no choice but to evaluate any foreign suggestion for his case 

"And We ordained that he refused to suck any foster mother before, so she said: Shall I point out to you the people of a house who will take care of him for you, and they will be benevolent to him?" 

The Egyptian household had no alternative but to act upon the opportune recommendation or else the infant, whom they so dearly loved as per God's miraculous decree despite knowing his ethnicity, would not be fed 

"So We gave him back to his mother that her eye might be refreshed, and that she might no grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true, but most of them do not know". 

Before that point Moses as an infant had already spent some time inside Pharao's own household where he was accepted and cared for, upon the insistence of Pharao's wife 28:9, so his future return among them, following his nurturing by his biological mother, is completely understandable and fits well with the narrative 26:18. This is just another instance of the Quran demonstrating its remarkable ability to introduce independent details within a narrative only when those details have a significant function to fullfill, in this case reintroducing the truth surrounding Moses' infancy 

28:2-3"These are the verses of the Book that makes (things) clear. We recite to you from the account of Musa and Pharao with truth for people who believe".

It is important to note, in the Quranic narrative, Moses' mission was not primarily aimed at freeing the Israelites. This was secondary. His most important purpose was to confront Pharao and urge him to reform, to desist from his cruelty and claims to the divine 

20:24"Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed". 

His tyranical behavior, including the enslavement of the Israelites stemmed directly from his most evil transgressions. That is why the messenger was told to tackle the problem at its root. Moses was going to meet the most powerful man on earth, a tyrant who knew no mercy. Allah strengthened him with miracles, and the assistance of his brother Aaron. The secrets of his years as an infant, floating under Allah's protection on the river, then raised inside Pharaoh's household were then brought to light. Some of the intricacies of the causalities of life were unveiled to Moses, and how Allah's will is in control at ever step. By allowing Moses to be reared under Pharaoh's nose, yet at the same time preventing the tyrant's hand from harming him, God was preparing Moses for his momentous task, giving him the courage of going back to Egypt to confront him. Just as his enemy could not harm him as an infant, so will be the case now 

20:37-9"And We had already conferred favor upon you another time, When We inspired to your mother what We inspired, [Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye". 

Further, to even be allowed an audience the way Moses was, a special kind of relationship had to exist between him and Pharao.

The signs of Moses

The Quran speaks of nine signs given to Moses 17:101,27:12 divided into 6 signs to Egypt in general and 3 signs to Pharao in particular; 

1)rod into serpent 7:107,20:20-1,27:10 

2)shining white hand without any evil 20:22,27:12,28:32 

3)capacity to ward off fear by drawing his arm to himself 28:32, an impressive feat to achieve if one considers how ruthless the Egyptian leader was, and how dreaded were his cruel punishments. An interesting linguistic observation is in the image the Quran uses to describe that ability; it says janah/wing instead of ‘hand’ to liken the state of man’s tranquility and calmness to the state of a bird that when it observes a frightening thing, it flies, but when it regains its calmness, it gathers its wings.

4)drought resulting in shortage of thamaraat (used for product of anything conceptually) 7:130 

5)overwhelming, encompassing, circling event/tufan steming from t-w-f. In the context of a deadly event this could refer to any physically overwhelming calamity, as in a deluge 29:14, or even the thick enveloping impenetrable darkness which extinguished all lights and gripped the Egyptians with fear. The phrase tufan al dhalam refers to the intensity of the darkness of night. 

6)locusts

7)lice

8)frogs

9)blood 7:133 

The account and listing of the plagues in the HB is convoluted. The Torah mentions 10 signs to Egypt in general and 2 signs to Pharaoh specifically. It also says that the Israelites in particular were shown 3 of those total 12 signs to make them believe in Moses' prophethood Ex4-14; rod into serpent, Moses' hand turns leprous then is instantly healed, water of the Nile turns into blood when Moses sprinkles it on the dry land (also if he touches it with his staff, the whole river turns into blood Ex7), frogs, gnat, flies, death of livestock, boils (skin disease), hail and lightening, locusts, three days of darkness, death of all firstborns except those of the Israelites. The books of Psalms in ch78 and 105 however seem to be drawing on different traditions, as both the number and details of the plagues differ with what is stated in the Torah.

The leprous hand was, according to Jewish oral tradition partially an expression of God's reprobation for Moses "slanderously" doubting God's assurance that the Israelites will believe in his prophethood Ex4:1. Some of the signs mentioned in the Quran are general and may include several specific ones listed in the HB, hence the difference in total number. For example hail and lightening could be, along with the three days of darkness, a sub-category of tufan. The death of livestock could be included as a consequence of the severe drought resulting in loss of produce. 

Pharao's power and dominion were destroyed in answer to his repeated rejection of the signs, including the 9 manifest signs 7:133,17:101. Moses was warned to flee the land by night so as to escape those bent on murdering him and his people. God this way caused Moses and those with him to bait Pharao and his army into their site of final retribution 

26:52-68,43:49-56,44:23-30,7:134-6"if you remove the plague from us, we will certainly believe in you and we will certainly send away with you the children of Israel. But when We removed the plague from them till a term which they should attain lo! they broke (the promise). Therefore We inflicted retribution on them and drowned them in the sea because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them". 

The Quran makes it clear, the Egyptians never truly considered releasing the Israelites. Their repeated rejection of the signs led them to a point where they were planning on inflicting mass slaughter upon them. It was at that culminating point that Moses received the command to escape by night.

The Quran therefore does not give credence to the events of passover where God, frustrated with the Egyptians' disregard of His signs, resorted to the mass killing of all Egyptian firstborn. This isnt a case of divine punishment falling on a nation and resulting in the collateral deaths of innocents. In this case, God's wrath is so intense, His desire for vengeance so deep, that he purposefully targeted the innocent and left the guilty alive so as to witness the massacre of their progeny. It is important to emphasize, the criteria for death was not unrighteousness, rejection of the prophet or any type of evil behavior. The criteria was simply, being the firstborn, human or animal, and living in Egypt. Killing was to be indiscriminate and included the Israelites' firstborn too, hence God's secretly sharing the protective ritual with them only. They were to mark their doors with the blood of a sacrificed animal, as a sign which the angel of destruction would recognize so as to spare them. But to the unfortunate who did not know the protective ritual, including "the firstborn of the maidservant sitting behind the mill", death was inevitable. Desperate, Pharao agreed letting the Israelites free temporarily, until he came back to his senses and pursued them to the seashore where he was drowned together with his army Ex13.  The plague would have decimated the Israelites themselves. Passover thus later commemorated the event as a thanksgiving celebration. In the biblical account, the Israelites were saved by God from God. In the Quran, they were saved by God from Pharao. There is a reason why this 10th plague gave rise to controversies, and why the Quran doesnt give any importance to that legend retrospectively grafted unto the story. In the Quran, Pharao was the baby killer from whom the Israelites needed saving.

As a side note, in sura qasas it says the Egyptians' initial decree to mass slaughter the newborn Israelite males was due to fear 28:6. It further says that Moses' rescue and adoption by Pharao's household was divinely decreed 

28:8"that he (Moses) might be an enemy and a grief for them". 

We are thus given the background for that fear of the Egyptians, which led to the cruel decree as regards the infant Israelites; a newborn male was destined to become a formidable foe to the Egyptian elite. They knew it somehow and wanted to prevent it by systematically slaughtering all newborn males as well as cutting off the Hebrew lineage by taking their women to themselves. Other places where reference to that slaughter is made 2:49,7:141,14:6. Later on, when Moses returned to Egypt as a prophet, Pharao threatened to repeat that violent crime 7:127,40:25. It must have been a dreadful news to the enslaved Israelites, a powerful deterrent for anyone contemplating  to join Musa. 

In the Quran thus, no credence is given to the events of passover as depicted in the Bible where God decides to slaughter all firstborns, frustrated by the Egyptians' denial of the miracles and plagues. The order came from Pharao and was aimed at punishing those that rebelled against him.

In the HB Ex1 the Egyptians' fear was due to the enslaved Israelites' increasing demography, swelling to the extent that they "became so numerous that the land was filled with them", which is a historical inaccuracy. In their oral tradition however it says 

"Pharaoh cared only about the males, because his astrologers told him that a son was destined to be born who would save them (Exod. Rabbah1:18)". 

These "astrologers" were probably just echoing what the Israelites themselves were rumouring amidst their intense suffering, a saviour is bound to rise and take them to the land promised to their forefather.

This 10th plague is obviously one that left the Jewish thinkers uneasy throughout the centuries, to the point they came up with a way to shift the blame away from God by arguing that the firstborn were executed for murdering their own fathers 

"When God sent the plague of the firstborn ... all the firstborn Egyptians went to speak to their fathers and said “Everything which Moses has said has come true, don’t you want us to live? Let us get the Hebrew slaves out of our homes now. Otherwise we are dead.” The fathers answered “even if all of Egypt dies they are not leaving.” All the firstborn gathered in front of Pharaoh and screamed “Please remove the Hebrews, because of them evil will befall us and you.” Pharaoh said to his servants, “Remove the protesters and break their knees.” What did the young Egyptians do? Each took a sword and killed his father". (Midrash Tehillim 136:6; Tanchuma, Parshat Bo 18).

Recent scholarship has unearthed evidence associating the passover ritual with Canaanite theology, which heavily influenced the Israelites' own religion. This may be a case where pagan tradition was fused with historical events. The name itself, "pesach", before its retrospective application to the event of death "passing over" the Israelites' houses, is found in semi-nomadic rituals of protection from a malevolent deity and demons during spring time (Leonhard Rost/Martin Noth).

The hardening of Pharao's heart

The passage mentioning the hardening of Pharao's heart has troubled biblical commentators because it seems like a direct action by YHWH preventing people from the right path. In the biblical narrative Moses was sent with miracles to pharao but with a clear purpose; to cause God -in answer to Pharao's denial of the miracle- to unleash His series of punishments on Egypt and consequently free the enslaved Israelites. This is according to the principles that YHWH disposes as He wills of the hearts of the people, and more particularly of nations' leaders 

Prov21:1"A king's heart is like rivulets of water in the Lord's hand; wherever He wishes, He turns it".

 For the attainment of this purpose in regards to the Egyptian ruler 

Ex7:3-5,13,Ex10:1"I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them". 

Pharao and his officials had no other issue but to be doomed 

Ex14:4"And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army". 

That outcome was foreseen even prior to Moses' confrontation with the Egyptian ruler. God tells Moses, Pharao will not heed his message unless forcefully compelled by God to do so Ex3:19. And that is because Pharao's heart was purposefully hardened prior to the performance of miracles. Why would YHWH inflict Pharao with spiritual blindness if he was already blind in the first place and unable to hearken Moses' calls? This would render YHWH's curse redundant. YHWH's purpose in blinding Pharao is clearly stated in the text, it was to create a chain of events meant at destroying the Egyptian oppressors and ultimately freeing the Israelites. YHWH also had a personal grudge with the gods of Egypt and their worldly representor, Pharao. YHWH wanted prove to the Egyptians in a spectacular manner that it was He, not the false gods, that controlled all aspects of their lives. YWHW skilfully orchestrates, through Pharao' obstinate rejection of the plagues and Moses' miracles, a gradual public battle of the gods 

Ex9:15-16"For if now I had stretched forth My hand and I had smitten you and your people with pestilence, you would have been annihilated from the earth. But for this reason I have allowed you to stand in order to show you My strength and in order to declare My Name all over the earth". 

That battle of the gods had to be repeated several times for YHWH to make his point clear to the Egyptians, hence the gradual destruction of land, and the preservation of Pharao as YHWH's main tool in the process. Had Pharao repented, he would have told the Egyptians to follow suit, which would have in turn frustrated YHWH's plans, hence the hardening of his heart. This removed any possibility of reform at the sight of the signs and warnings 

Ex8:15"So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, "It is the finger of God," but Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken". 

It is interesting to note that even prior to that, the subjugation, enslavement and opression of the Israelites themselves is attributed to God who is said to have stirred the peoples' hatred and jealousy towards them 

Ps105:23-5"Israel came to Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And He made His people very fruitful, and He made it stronger than its adversaries. He turned their heart to hate His people, to plot against His servants". 

The same was done later to Sihon king of Heshbon whose spirit was caused by God 

"to be hardened and his heart to be obstinate". 

Sihon consequently refused Moses' peace offer and was defeated in battle, his land conquered, his people massacred Deut2:26-35. Similarly, we read in Isa37:7 of God instilling a certain desire into the wicked Assyrian king Sennacherib that would ultimately create a chain of events leading to his death. Again later, God would harden the hearts of the Canaanites in order that Israel 

Josh11:20-23"might destroy them completely, and that they might have no favor, that they (the Jews) might destroy them as the Lord had commanded Moses". 

In Judges9:22-24

"God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem" 

in order that the king Abimelech might be severely punished for his wickedness and murders of the sons of Gideon 

53"Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers". 

YHWH prevented Solomon's son, Rehoboam, from hearkening the wise counsel of his father's former advisers about using tact, diplomacy in his dealings with the people who were heavily burdened by the royal taxation system instaured since the time of king David. YHWH prevented Rehoboam in order that the promised punishment of Solomon for his alleged sins, including the sin of idolatry, comes true through the scission of the kingdom 

1Kings11,12:15"The king did not listen to the people, for it was something brought about by the Lord, in order to fulfill His word". 

Just as one day, YHWH will draw Magog by "hooks into its jaws" as would be done with a wild beast Ezek38, throughout the course of history, God would rise and forcefully incite neighboring nations to destroy and subjugate the Israelites for their transgressions. These punishing nations were later destroyed themselves, despite having done the task required of them. This would be the case of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Amonites, Moabites etc as described in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

The Quran says on the contrary that Moses and Aaron were primarily sent to Pharao and the corrupt elite around him to make them mend their ways by adopting purity of belief, morals and deeds. That is why his heart could not, and was not hardened prior to his successive encounters with Moses as a prophet, and witnessing the divine signs. In fact the Quran explains that part of the reason why Moses' mother was told to send her infant son drifting upon the river until he would be picked up and reared within Pharaoh's household, was to prepare him for this momentous task. It is important to note, in the Quranic narrative, Moses' mission was not primarily aimed at freeing the Israelites. This was secondary. His most important purpose was to confront Pharao and urge him to reform, to desist from his cruelty and claims to the divine 

20:24"Go to Pharaoh. Indeed, he has transgressed". 

His tyranical behavior, including the enslavement of the Israelites stemmed directly from his most evil transgressions. That is why the messenger was told to tackle the problem at its root. Moses was going to meet the most powerful man on earth, a tyrant who knew no mercy. Allah strengthened him with miracles, and the assistance of his brother Aaron. The secrets of his years as an infant, floating under Allah's protection on the river, then raised inside Pharaoh's household were then brought to light. Some of the intricacies of the causalities of life were unveiled to Moses, and how Allah's will is in control at ever step. By allowing Moses to be reared under Pharaoh's nose, yet at the same time preventing the tyrant's hand from harming him, God was preparing Moses for his momentous task, giving him the courage of going back to Egypt to confront him. Just as his enemy could not harm him as an infant, so will be the case now 

20:37-9"And We had already conferred favor upon you another time, When We inspired to your mother what We inspired, [Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye". 

Further, to even be allowed an audience the way Moses was, a special kind of relationship had to exist between him and Pharao. All prophets when they are sent to a powerful nation, begin by targeting the corrupt and tyrannical leaders of that nation 

10:75-6"Then We sent after them Musa and Harun to Firon and his chiefs with Our signs, but they were arrogant and they were a criminal people. So when the truth came to them from Us, they said: Indeed, this is surely an obvious magic". 

The particularity of Pharao's transgression, that made him, among other sins 

20:24"exceed all limits" 

was his claim to divine status 28:38,79:24, a sin which a prophet of God could never overlook. Part of the kitab revealed to Moses was thus aimed at Pharao, more specifically the message of tawhid/divine unity as is clear from his exchanges with the ruler. However, most of that kitab of Moses was filled with directives for the children of Israel, to establish them as a nation before God 23:45-49,32:23. Their preparation had to begin in Egypt itself. After Moses' prophetic authority was accepted among his people thanks to his public defeat of Pharao and his magicians, and as the plagues were being inflicted upon Egypt, the Israelites were told to reform themselves and begin establishing regular prayers 10:87. Although some followed the instructions, the majority resisted and died with the plagues. 

Going back to the issue of determining the object of Moses and Aaron's mission to Pharao, as per the Quranic account, what transpires is that they were trying to show Pharao that he was threading an ungodly path, all the while requesting the freedom of an enslaved nation. The reform of Pharao consisted in reminding him and the Egyptian elite of the forgotten path of the righteous people that preceded them. These people were once even among the ruling class of Egypt. It is the way of Jacob and Joseph whom God had raised to power and a status of eminence in that land. Although their righteous, monotheistic ways were once accepted by the ruling class, the rest of the population did not readily assimilate their practices. When that polytheistic population eventually made it back to power after Joseph's passing 40:34-5, these righteous ways were nevertheless kept being practiced in the land, including by the righteous people of Israel for centuries before they themselves in great proportions, gradually forsook the straight path and alligned themselves with the practices and superstitions of the land. This was inevitable considering the duress of slavery that prevented them from living in accordance with their own spiritual requirements 

25:36"Go to the people who denied Our Revelations". 

The Egyptian ruling class even in the time of Moses, were thus aware of prophets having gone in their midst, and knew of their religion. As a side note According to oral Jewish tradition based on Ex5:4, the Levites were in fact dispensed from the hard labor inflicted on the rest of the nation, because they were supposed to be the ones devoted to spiritual activities among their people. This Egyptian ruling class however, like the people of all ages, rejected the ways of rectitude based on the blind following and attachement to the ways of the close generations that passed away, and they were concerned above all for their material benefits; the fear of losing their social advantages and the suspicion that the reformers were in fact motivated by a desire of supplanting them from their socio-economical eminence 10:78,20:47-52,28:36. 

In the Quran it was therefore not until after Pharao's obstinate rejection of God's signs that were actually meant at making him mend his ways 7:130-5,17:101-2,20:56,43:48 but that had the reverse effect of increasing his arrogance and folly, that his and his official's hearts were irreversibly hardened, kept away from the correct path 10:75-89,40:37. 

The Bible says the entire opposite as shown earlier. Pharao's heart was hardened from the get go, before he even had a chance to reform himself by being exposed to Moses' message and miracles. In the Quran, instead of this being some kind of arbitrary and wanton divine curse, it is but a natural consequence of repeated, wilful spiritual neglect to the point spirituality is degraded beyond repair. The Quran gives several transgressions, which, despite the warnings, brought Pharao closer to spiritual collapse; going as far as requesting for the building of a tower to reach for the heavens and disprove Moses' claims, misusing his powers without limits to prevent the people from practicing the true religion and establishing places of worship, and finally the direct attempt at murdering God's manifest messenger 44:20-22. Disbelievers of all times suffer the same consequences when they repeatedly deny God's signs 13:33. At that point, once it had been made clear that Moses' opponents will not desist from rejecting and will only increase further in their animosity, to the extent that Moses and his people had no other option but to flee, Moses invoked Allah's curse upon his enemies. He asked God to harden Pharao's heart and destroy what gave him the ability to oppress the people and corrupt the land, and God accepted Moses' prayer instantly.