Abstract

This essay painstakingly analyses Allah, the Islamic God. Allah is at the core of religion of Islam. Every act, every ritual, every Jihad, every Islamic incursion, every Islamic bloodshed, every Islamic law is designed for only one purpose—to please Allah. Who is this Allah? Where did He come from? Where does He live now? What are His daily activities? What is His temperament? What are His likes and dislikes? Does Allah have an Executive Office?—how does that office look like? Does Allah have a Throne? Does Allah have a physical body or is Allah just amorphous—without any corporeal existence –but only an invisible, incomprehensible, a never-to-be-understood entity? These are extremely blasphemous questions. None the less, these questions haunt every Muslim’s mind from the moment he hears Allah’s name to the moment of his last breath. But he never gets any satisfactory answers to these perennial questions. For eternity, Allah would like to remain an enigma to the Muslims. Islamists always advance this mysterious, elusive nature of Allah as the epitome of Islam—Allah has to remain obscure, recondite and ephemeral—this is what makes Islam great—the hide-and-seek game of Allah with His devotees. This essay is an attempt to remove this antediluvian, outdated and irrational method to understanding Allah. The most surprising result of this enquiry about Allah is that: Allah is not at all a mystery. He is just like any one of us—a living and breathing human being, so to speak! Allah is not esoteric; neither is He hiding from us. He lived, yes, with Muhammad, but did not die with Muhammad. Based on irrefutable evidences, this essay will tell the story of Allah and how Muhammad advanced Allah as a deity to be worshipped—just because he wanted to be worshipped—in the name of Allah, in the manner the Pagans worshipped Allah.

Introduction

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The very first two words in every sura (chapter) in the Holy Qur’an, are Bismi Allah (sometimes written as Bismillah or Basmallah) which, translated into English mean: In the name of Allah. The only exception is sura 9 (Sura Baraat or Sura at-Taubat). The reason why these two words (I mean, Bismi Allah) are missing from sura 9 is that it is a continuation of sura 8 (spoils of war)—during compilation of the Qur’an (probably, during Uthmanic compilation), this sura (sura 9) was separated out from sura 8. There are no word/words holier than those two words. In Islamic parlance those two words are of supreme importance in almost all religious rituals. Truly, Bismi Allah are the key words which unravel the mystery of Allah.

Bismi Allah words are routine incantation in Islamic rituals, such as: attending a prayer, marriage, eating, drinking, reading, writing, sleeping, waking up, walking down, sitting down, standing up, running, playing, urinating, kissing, copulating, sitting for an examination, visiting a doctor, setting out on a journey….and what not. These two extraordinarily holy words are also invoked during Islamic beheadings, slaughtering an animal, waging a war (Jihad), defecating and visiting graves. Allahu Akbar, the other two sanctified Islamic words, almost always follows Bismi Allah. Thanks to the Islamist terrorists and the snuff videos on Islamic beheading and decapitation shown in the Internet, I do not have to write much about these two other hallowed words of Islam. The world has already associated these two words (I mean Allahu Akbar) with terror, evil and murder. Curiously, one might notice that the most consecrated words, i.e. Bismi Allah are not announced during the cacophony of Islamic cry for prayer (Azan). Instead, we hear Allahu Akbar (three times) at the beginning and towards the end.

Bismi Allah words are not Muhammad’s invention. The Pagans in Mecca used those two sanctified words, though infrequently, in most of their rituals as they also considered Allah to be their supreme deity or God. They called this ritual Tasmiya. Its probable origin is from the Jewish custom of invoking HaShem when they recited the Torah. It is not clear, who invented this custom—but it is certainly Muhammad who steadfastly instituted this tradition (invoking Bismi Allah) as a compulsory universal practice for the Muslims. As you proceed diligently with this essay, you will understand why Muhammad had made it obligatory to cite Bismi Allah in every occasion I mentioned previously.

Thus, it is important that we meticulously dissect these two valuable words: Bismi Allah, which are the roots of all Islamic acts. This will help us to understand the mindset of Allah, which in turn is the key in understanding the state of mind of Muhammad and his religion, Islam. This is the prime focus of this essay—to decipher an esoteric Allah and His inseparable partner Muhammad.

The readers might find that certain sections are repetitive—to some extent. It happened simply because the Qur’an and ahadith are repetitive. I tried to avoid repetition as far as possible, but in a few cases this (repetition) could not be avoided all together.

Special Thanks
During the last few months I have received many e–mails from readers who were very curious to know why I have been so silent. I am so flabbergasted by their show of sincere warmth, unbound encouragement and good advice, that I shall be doing injustice to these readers if I fail to formally thank them for their genuine love, affection and understanding. I never knew that my writings could move people. I thought my essays were trash—to be thrown in the dustbin of history. The only rewards, so far, I received were hate mails—hundreds of them and threats to kill me—just for speaking my mind. So, when I read e–mails from those readers who truthfully demonstrate their empathy for me, it brings much ardor in me—the ardor to continue with my pen. I feel very emotional reading those heartfelt e–mails. A few readers were concerned about my safety when the Islamist terrorists issued death fatwa to slaughter us. Their list also included I. To these genuine well–wishers, I would like to extend a big thank.—You are the persons for whom I would like to leave all my dedications—so posterity will not forget what we stood up for, –a world devoid of religious anarchy and religious bigotry. You are the harbingers—the fulfillment of the longing for a world free of religious insanity.

Let us now begin with the ‘Beginning’—the nature of Allah.

Allah is for real

Muslims often think of their God, Allah, to be someone who is omnipresent, omnipotent, shapeless, infallible, ever‑awake and rules the world through His absolute commandments as enshrined in the holy Qur’an. According to many Islamist apologists, none could comprehend the nature and extent of Allah, the Islamic God. Many of these erudite scholars write prolix essays filled with Islamic drivels. They will write, extolling various features of the invisible, vacuous, incomprehensible and impenetrable Allah. Imbued with utmost devotion to Allah, many Muslims, five times a day, will seek bounty and forgiveness from Him. What do you think this means? Obviously, there is some kind of contradiction here. On one hand, during conversing loosely, they will portray the concept of Allah as someone who is unreal and ephemeral, while during prayer they will consider Allah to be like a real entity who has eyes to see, ears to hear and has the physical means to deliver to the faithful all their requests. So, what is the correct situation—a non-physical, unreal, unseen, ephemeral Allah or a real, temporal, physical deity? Believe it or not: when we search the Islam’s main sources: the Qur’an, Hadith, Sirah (Muhammad’s biography) and Sharia, we invariably derive one simple conclusion—that Allah, truly is for real, that He, Himself had written the Qur’an with His own hands and that He, truly metes out justice and bounties with His own hands.

To begin with, an impeccable Islamic scholar, Ali Dashti contends that most Islamic scholars believe that just like human beings Allah has limbs and organs (68:42).This means: Allah is anthropomorphic!—with real hands, eyes, ears, legs, feet and body! Quoting from an immaculate Islamic source (Abu ‘Amer), Ali Dashti says that according to real Islam Allah has limbs and organs like a human being. Abu ‘Amer uses verse 68:42 to describe the true nature of Allah. Here is what Dashti writes:

Abu ‘Amer ol–Qorashi, a Moor from Majorca who died at Baghdad in 524/1130, declared that it was heretical to understand the sentence “There is nothing similar to Him” in verse 9 of sura 42(osh–Showra) (this is verse 42:11in the Qur’an translation of Yusuf Ali—author’s note) as meaning what it says; it meant, in his opinion, that nothing resembles God in respect of His divinity, because “God possesses limbs and organs like yours and mine.” As proof of God’s possession of such limbs and organs, Abu ‘Amer ol-Qorashi cited the description of the last judgement in verse 42 of sura  68 (ol-Qalam) “On the day when the leg will be bared and they will he bidden to kneel but cannot,” and then slapped his thigh and said, “God has legs just like mine.” (Dashti, 1994, p.158)

That’s right. Allah has limbs and organs just like us—the human beings, which He had created with His own hands. Here are those two verses which confirm that Allah is truly anthropomorphic.

YUSUFALI: (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). [042.011]
YUSUFALI: The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able,- [Q 068.042]

Ali Dashti continues:

Allah is anthropomorphic! According to Ghazali, Mutazillites were infidels and heretics. Allah will step down from His throne—said Ghazali.(Dashti, 1994, p. 157).

Sourcing Imam Ahmad b. Taymiya, one of the highest among the Islamic scholars, Dashti further writes that he (Ibn Taymiya) repudiated Ghazali (the most celebrated Islamic scholar—many Muslims consider Ghazali’s work as next to the Qur’an) who did not have a clear idea about Allah—believing that Allah is not a physical entity. Ibn Taymiya even called Ghazali a heretic. Ibn Taymiya strongly believed that Allah is really anthropomorphic! He will step down from His throne! Dashti writes:

Many Moslems, however, have had rigid minds. Such men only accepted interpretations which are confirmed by Hadiths, and they considered any use of reason in religious matters to be misleading and impermissible. They took the above quoted Qur’anic phrases literally and believed that God possesses a head, mouth, eyes, ears, hands, and feet just like those of human being. In the opinion of Abu Ma’mar al–Hodhali (d. 236/850), a preacher in Baghdad, anyone who denied this belief was an infidel. Adherents of the school of the famous traditionist and lawyer Ahmad b. Hanbal (164/780–241/855) have stuck to the same unthinking literalism ever since. The school’s chief later exponent, Ahmad b. Taymiya, was so fanatical that he called the Mo’tazelites infidels and Ghazali a heretic; on one celebrated occasion, after quoting the Qor’an in a sermon, he said to the congregation as he stepped down from the pulpit of the Great Mosque at Damascus, “God will step down from His throne in the same way as I am stepping down from this pulpit.” .(Dashti, 1994, p. 157)

Dashti also writes that Muslim scholars agree that the Qur’an is not a miracle. Al-Maari wrote an imitation of the Qur’an. He writes:

It is widely held that the blind Syrian poet Abu’l‑‘Ala ol‑Maari (368/979–450/1058) wrote his Ketab ol‑fusul wa’‑ghayat, of which a part survives, an imitation of the Qor’an (Dashti, 1994, p. 48).

Here is another proof that Allah is for real and possesses human qualities (anthropomorphic):

Enoch walked with Allah 19:56-57, 21:85-86 (Tabari, 1988, p. 6.42).

Allah walks with human beings (in Paradise, of course)—this is impossible to believe. But look what the Qur’an says!

YUSUFALI: Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet: [Q 019.056]
YUSUFALI: And We raised him to a lofty station. [Q 019.057]

In foot note 55 of volume vi of Tabari we read:

A Prophet mentioned in the Qur’an as “raised to high station “ by God (19:56f, sec 21:85). He is usually identified with the Biblical Enoch (Akhnukh) who “walked with God, and he was not, for God took He” (genesis 5:24).” (Tabari, 1988, p. 6.42).

This means Allah surely has feet, just like humans, to be able to walk with a human being such as Prophet Enoch (Idris).

Further evidence that Islamic God, Allah is a living entity, alive and going about His daily business, like other creatures is glimpsed from a hadith. In Sahih Bukhari we read:

People used to worship Muhammad till he died, Abu Bakr then claimed that Muhammad was dead but if people worshipped Allah then Allah is alive…(Sahih Bukhari, 5.59.733)

Volume 5, Book 59, Number 733:

Narrated 'Aisha:
Abu Bakr came from his house at As-Sunh on a horse. He dismounted and entered the Mosque, but did not speak to the people till he entered upon 'Aisha and went straight to Allah's Apostle who was covered with Hibra cloth (i.e. a kind of Yemenite cloth). He then uncovered the Prophet's face and bowed over him and kissed him and wept, saying, "Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. By Allah, Allah will never cause you to die twice. As for the death which was written for you, has come upon you."

 

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Abu Bakr went out while Umar bin Al-Khattab was talking to the people. Abu Bakr said, "Sit down, O 'Umar!" But 'Umar refused to sit down. So the people came to Abu Bakr and left Umar. Abu Bakr said, "To proceed, if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad , then Muhammad is dead, but if (anyone of) you used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die. Allah said:--"Muhammad is no more than an Apostle, and indeed (many) apostles have passed away before him..(till the end of the Verse)......Allah will reward to those who are thankful." (3.144) By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that Allah had revealed this Verse before till Abu Bakr recited it and all the people received it from him, and I heard everybody reciting it (then).

 

Narrated Az-Zuhri: Said bin Al-Musaiyab told me that 'Umar said, "By Allah, when I heard Abu Bakr reciting it, my legs could not support me and I fell down at the very moment of hearing him reciting it, declaring that the Prophet had died."

The holy Qur’an also confirms that Allah is a living being—like any other creatures. Here is a verse from the Qur’an:

YUSUFALI: (All) faces shall be humbled before (Him) - the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal: hopeless indeed will be the man that carries iniquity (on his back). [Q 020.111]

One of the most enigmatic episode of Muhammad’s life was his alleged journey from his temporary sleeping place, Umm Hani’s (Muhammad’s cousin sister) bed‑room to the mosque (this is questionable, of course, since no mosque existed at Jerusalem during Muhammad’s time) of Jerusalem, Bait al‑Maqdis and then to Paradise, to meet Allah. Ibn Sa’d writes that on the night of this journey Muhammad went to Umm Hani’s house, offered isha prayer (night prayer) with her, boarded a Buraq, a half‑horse–half–female shaped angel creature and departed for Jerusalem and from there took another flight with this Buraq (or in some version climbed a long ladder) and ascended to Paradise to meet Allah. (Ibn Sa’d, 1972, p. 1.248).

We might laugh at this infantile imaginary travel which could only be conceived by a person in hallucination under the influence of a strong drug. But look! What one of Islam’s principal sources, Sahih Bukhari writes:

The night journey to Bait ul-Maqdis (Isra) was a real sight and not a dream (context of verse 17:60) …(Sahih Bukhari, 5.58.228). This is a lengthy hadith, I am quoting just the relevant part.

Volume 5, Book 58, Number 228: Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
Regarding the Statement of Allah"
 ……………………………………….
"And We granted the vision (Ascension to the heavens) which We made you see (as an actual eye witness) was only made as a trial for the people." (17.60)

Ibn Abbas added: The sights which Allah's Apostle was shown on the Night Journey when he was taken to Bait-ulMaqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) were actual sights, (not dreams). And the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Quran is the tree of Zaqqum (itself).

The verse (17:60) mentioned in this Sahih (authentic) hadith reads:

YUSUFALI: Behold! We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind round about: We granted the vision which We showed thee, but as a trial for men,- as also the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Qur'an: We put terror (and warning) into them, but it only increases their inordinate transgression! [Q 017.060]

Those two sources prove that Allah is for real and He really has His residence in Paradise. Had Allah been everywhere, as many Islamists believe, it was not necessary for Muhammad to embark on this trip. Allah could simply manifest Himself to Muhammad in any form and talked to him. Allah could do this in an instant. So why should He waste time and resource to send a Buraq to Muhammad just to accost him?

Therefore, we can safely derive this conclusion: Allah is for real. He is physical and has a fixed residence, wherever it might be.

Allah is human-shaped; He looks like Adam

 

Muhammad had great difficulty to explain to the illiterate, un‑informed and gullible Bedouin folks his twisted concept of Allah. Those desert folks always associated their concept of god/s to a physical entity. So, when Muhammad introduced the idea of a single, unseen Allah, they were very confused and vehemently questioned his sanity,—since no one had ever seen this Allah (although they believed in a supreme deity whom they also called Allah). Therefore, Muhammad had to associate his Allah with some living creatures; and what could be better than associating the mien of Allah with the first and the original human being, Adam? He told his people that Allah did really look like Adam. Here is a hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

Adam was shaped completely like Allah; Adam was 60 cubits (30m) in height...(Sahih Bukhari, 8.74.246)

Volume 8, Book 74, Number 246: Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Allah created Adam in his complete shape and form (directly), sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. When He created him, He said (to him), "Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen what they will say in reply to you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring." Adam (went and) said, 'As-Salamu alaikum (Peace be upon you).' They replied, 'AsSalamu-'Alaika wa Rahmatullah (Peace and Allah's Mercy be on you). So they increased 'Wa Rahmatullah' The Prophet added 'So whoever will enter Paradise, will be of the shape and form of Adam. Since then the creation of Adam's (offspring) (i.e. stature of human beings is being diminished continuously) to the present time."

In Sahih Muslim we read:

Adam is the image of Allah… (Sahih Muslim, 32.6325)

Book 032, Number 6325:
This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abu Huraira and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Ibn Hatim Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) is reported to have said: When any one of you fights with his brother, he should avoid his face for Allah created Adam in His own image.

To avoid the embarrassment, in the print version of Sahih Muslim, the translator of Sahih Muslim, the Islamist scholar, ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, in a foot note, writes confusing remarks which could only confirm the absolute perplexity that Muhammad had created with his own concept of Allah. The learned ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi writes:

We have translated Surathi  as His image instead of His form as Allah has no definite form and shape. The words that Allah created Adam in his own image do not mean that he has been fashioned after His image or form, as the finite being cannot be fashioned after the pattern of Infinite. Here the words “His image” have been used in order to give an idea of the high dignity of man and of his being the roof and crown of his creation and of His being the vicegerent of the Lord upon the earth.

According to some scholars, the pronoun “his” does not stand for God, but for the person who has been beaten on the face.

According to this elucidation, the translation of the sentence should be: For Allah created Adam in his shape (the shape in which the victim too has been created). It is therefore the duty of everyone not to beat the face which is a replica of the face of Adam. (Sahih Muslim, 2004, p. 4.1660, foot note 2872).

Note that the translator imposes his own version of concept of Allah, which clearly contradicts the Qur’an’s idea of Allah and the ahadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Obviously, Professor ‘Abdul Hamid is as confused as any Bedouin could have been during Muhammad’s time!

Allah noticed the nakedness of Adam and Eve (Ibn Sa’d, 1972, p. 1.22).

Yes, Allah was embarrassed seeing a naked Adam. As Allah looked like Adam, He surely should be! Allah could never be naked. So, He instructed Adam and Eve to be properly dressed. On this, Ibn Sa’d writes:

When Allah noticed the nakedness of Adam and Eve, He commanded him to slaughter a male sheep out of eight pairs which Allah had cast from the heavens. So Adam took the male sheep and slaughtered it. Then he obtained its wool which Eve span (sic). Then Adam along with Eve weaved it. So Adam weaved a garment for himself and a shift and a head‑covering

For Eve. Both of them dressed themselves in their garments and met together on the day of Jam’a and therefore the day was named jam’a; they recognised each other at ‘arafah and so it was named ‘Arafah.

Allah has arms, legs and ears but the idols do not have them

 

From the previous discussions, we should have very little doubt about this. Muhammad’s Allah, does indeed take after a human being. Since Allah looks like a human being, it then follows logically that Allah must have all the physical features of a human being.

Thus, in the Qur’an we read that Allah has eyes and ears…(42:11).

YUSUFALI: (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). [Q 042.011]

Allah has hands; He created Adam with His own hands…(38:75, 48:10).

YUSUFALI: (Allah) said: "O Iblis! What prevents thee from prostrating thyself to one whom I have created with my hands? Art thou haughty? Or art thou one of the high (and mighty) ones?" [Q 038.075]
YUSUFALI: Verily those who plight their fealty to thee do no less than plight their fealty to Allah: the Hand of Allah is over their hands: then any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul, and any one who fulfils what he has covenanted with Allah,- Allah will soon grant him a great Reward. [Q 048.010]

Commenting on the above two verses, the translator of Sahih Bukhari, Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan writes that those two verses confirm two hands for Allah, but there is no similarity for them. Readers might be confounded at such a convoluted remark, but hold on, Dr Muhsin writes further:

This is not like as some people think that Allah is present everywhere—here, there and even inside the breasts of men (Khan, 1994, p. 1067).

Dr Muhsin Khan has confirmed what I wrote beforehand that Allah is anthropomorphic and He has a fixed residence.

In Sahih Bukhari we read that Allah does have real physical hands. But His hands are so huge that He could grab the entire earth in one of His hands. Perhaps this hugeness of Allah’s hand is the dissimilarity with humans’ hand when Dr Muhsin Khan mentioned Allah has hands but there is no similarity for them. Let us read this hadith.

Allah will hold the whole earth and roll all the heavens up in his right hand...(Sahih Bukhari, 6.60.336)

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 336: Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?"'

Allah has huge feet. He puts His foot over hell–fire. That’s right. Commenting on verse 50:30, Sahih Bukhari says exactly this. Let us first read verse 50:30.

 

YUSUFALI: One Day We will ask Hell, "Art thou filled to the full?" It will say, "Are there any more (to come)?" [Q 050.030]
 

Here are the ahadith from Sahih Bukhari:

50:30 Allah puts his foot over hell fire...(Sahih Bukhari, 6.60.371, 373)

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 371: Narrated Anas:
The Prophet said, "The people will be thrown into the (Hell) Fire and it will say: "Are there any more (to come)?' (50.30) till Allah puts His Foot over it and it will say, 'Qati! Qati! (Enough Enough!)'"

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 373: Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Paradise and the Fire (Hell) argued, and the Fire (Hell) said, "I have been given the privilege of receiving the arrogant and the tyrants.' Paradise said, 'What is the matter with me? Why do only the weak and the humble among the people enter me?' On that, Allah said to Paradise. 'You are My Mercy which I bestow on whoever I wish of my servants.' Then Allah said to the (Hell) Fire, 'You are my (means of) punishment by which I punish whoever I wish of my slaves. And each of you will have its fill.' As for the Fire (Hell), it will not be filled till Allah puts His Foot over it whereupon it will say, 'Qati! Qati!' At that time it will be filled, and its different parts will come closer to each other; and Allah will not wrong any of His created beings. As regards Paradise, Allah will create a new creation to fill it with."

Here are two similar ahadith from Sahih Muslim:

Allah would place his foot on hell when the hell is filled with sinners…(Sahih Muslim, 40.6823, 6825).

Book 040, Number 6823:
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said that the Hell would continue to say: Is there anything more, until Allah, the Exalted and High, would place His foot therein and that would say: Enough, enough, by Your Honour, and some parts of it would draw close to the other.

Book 040, Number 6825:
'Abd al-Wahhab b. Ata' reported in connection with the words of Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious: We would say to Hell on the Day of Resurrection: Have you been completely filled up? and it would say: Is there anything -more? And he stated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: (The sinners) would be thrown therein and it would continue to say: Is there anything more, until Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would keep His foot there- in and some of its part would draw close to the other and it would say: Enough, enough, by Thy Honour and by Thy Dignity, and there would be enough space in Paradise until Allah would create a new creation and He would make them accommodate that spare place in Paradise.

Even the translators of The Noble Qur’an and Sahih Bukhari, Drs al–Hilali and  Muhammad Muhsin Khan, having included this hadith in a foot note admits the physical nature of Allah’s foot (Hilali and Khan, 1999, The Noble Qur’an, p. 679, foot note 1).

Embarrassed with such mindless, cock‑and‑bull ahadith many contemporary Islamist scholars twist the meaning of those ahadith and contain that those allusion of the physical attributes of Allah are metaphorical. Here is a comment from none but the hadith scholar Professor ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi.

Hand is here used not in the literal sense, but in metaphorical sense. (Siddiqi. 2004, p. 1.151, footnote 388)

In the holy Qur’an (35:41) we read that Allah grasps the sky and the earth firmly lest they move away from their places; only Allah could guarantee the continued existence of the heavens and the earth. This verse clearly depicts the hugeness of Allah’s hand and personifies Allah’s might so much so, that only Allah has the physical strength to keep perfectly the earth in its position of rest.

Here is the verse 35:41

PICKTHAL: Lo! Allah graspeth the heavens and the earth that they deviate not, and if they were to deviate there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving.
Allah does have the physical ability of hearing and seeing. Here is a hadith from Sunaan Abu Dawud:

Sunaan Abu Dawud, Vol. III, Hhadith Number 4710
Abu Yunus Sulaim b. Jubair, client of Abu Hurairah, said: I heard Abu Hurairah recite this verse (4:58): “Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due”…up to “For Allah is He who heareth and seeth all things. He said: I saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) putting his thumb on his ear and finger on his eye.
Abu Huraira said: I saw the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting this verse and putting his fingers. Ibn Yunus said that al‑Muqri said: “Allah hears and sees” means that Allah has the power to hearing and seeing.

As usual, embarrassed with such incredulous hadith, the translator of Sunaan Abu Dawud, Professor Ahmad Hasan, in a foot note, vehemently denies the existence of Allah’s physical organs like ears and eyes. He rather blames the Jahmiyyah (heretics) for such an idea. In a foot note, he writes:

The Jahmiyyah did not believe in Divine attributes. This tradition refuted their view. Allah does not have the organs of hearing and seeing, i.e. ears and eyes, but their power. (Hasan, 2001, p. 3.1324, foot note 4121).

Needless to say, this is a prevarication by Professor Hasan to impose his personal opinion on unsuspecting readers.

Let us read what Tirmidhi Hadith says about Allah’s finger. In The Noble Qur’an, Dr Muhammad Taqi-uddin Al‑Hilali and Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan comments on verse 7:143 which talks about Allah’s conversation with Moses. This verse reads as follows:

YUSUFALI: When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee." Allah said: "By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me." When his Lord manifested His glory on the Mount, He made it as dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe." [Q 007.143]

Here is the comment by these two impeccable Islamist scholars:

The appearance of Allah to the mountain was very little of Him. It was approximately equal to the tip of one’s little finger as explained by the Prophet when he recited this verse (This Hadith is quoted by At‑Tirmidhi) (Hilali and Khan, 196, p. 225, foot note 1)

Muhammad was so convinced of the anthropomorphic nature of Allah that he even compared the limbs of the idols of the Arab Pagans to those of Allah. Ridiculing the idols of the Bedouin polytheists, he told them that their idols’ limbs were useless, whereas Allah’s hands, eyes and feet are real and workable.

Let us read verse 7:194-196 from the holy Qur’an:

Idols have no legs to walk, no hands to hold, no eyes to see and no ears to hear; you may try in vain to call on them to smite Allah (this means that Allah has feet, hands and ears)…7:194–196:

YUSUFALI: Verily those whom ye call upon besides Allah are servants like unto you: Call upon them, and let them listen to your prayer, if ye are (indeed) truthful! [Q 7.194]
YUSUFALI: Have they feet to walk with? Or hands to lay hold with? Or eyes to see with? Or ears to hear with? Say: "Call your 'god-partners', scheme (your worst) against me, and give me no respite! [Q 7.195]
YUSUFALI: "For my Protector is Allah, Who revealed the Book (from time to time), and He will choose and befriend the righteous [Q 7.196]

Muhammad was adamant that his Allah was for real; that is, Allah does have physical limbs. To strengthen his claim he compared the eye of Dajjal (anti‑Christ) to that of Allah. He claimed that Dajjal is one-eyed, but Allah is not. Here is a hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

Dajjal is one-eyed but Allah is not…(Sahih Bukhari, 4.55.553)

Volume 4, Book 55, Number 553: Narrated Ibn Umar:
Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "l warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."

Sahih Muslim writes that Allah is not deaf; He can talk and listen and he is really an entity—a physical entity, to be precise, just the likes of a human being.

Let us read this hadith from Sahih Muslim:

Allah is not deaf or absent; the treasure of Paradise is reciting ‘there is no might and no power but that of Allah’…(Sahih Muslim, 35.6528)

Book 035, Number 6528:
Abu Musa reported that he (and his other companions) were climbing upon the hillock along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and when any person climbed up, he pronounced (loudly):" There is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest." Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Verily, you are not supplicating One Who is deaf or absent. He said: Abu Musa or Abdullah b Qais, should I not direct you to the words (which form) the treasure of Paradise? I said: Allah's Messenger, what are these? He said:" There is no might and no power but that of Allah."

Allah will shake hands. Yes, that’s correct. Allah does have arms to shake hands with the His ardent faithful followers.

Here is a hadith from Sunann ibn Majah:

Sunaan ibn Majah, Vol. I Hadith Nnumber 104
‘Ubayy b. Ka’b (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon  him said, “The first person with whom Allah will shake hands (on the Day of Judgment), will be ‘Umar and he will be the first man to whom Allah will pay salutation (say: Assalamu ‘alaika) and he will be the first man whom he will hold with his Hand and make him enter the Paradise.

According to Al-Zawa’id, its isnad is  daif. It contains in it Dawud b. ‘Ata al‑Madani and all the scholars are unanimous about his du’f (weakness). The other transmitters are reliable and sound. As‑Suyuti has said, “Hafiz ‘Imad ud-Din b. Kathir in his Jami al‑Masanid has said: This hadith is highly munkar (disagreeable) and is not far from being a maudu (fabricated) hadith.

In case we are wondering about the content of the second paragraph of this hadith, here is the explanation. According to Ibn Majah, a person, named Dawud b ‘Ata al‑Madani who is one of the narrators of this hadith is not a very reliable narrator of hadith. The other narrators are reliable and the text of the hadith is acceptable, though this might be weak. Another opinion is that this hadith could be fabricated.

The bottom line is: though this hadith might be weak and controversial there is no compelling reason to reject this hadith, out‑of‑hand, or render it totally un‑authentic. At best, it is controversial; at worst it is a weak hadith, but not completely inauthentic.

Here is another proof from the holy Qur’an that Allah does indeed have physical eyes to see what His Prophets are doing. In fact, Allah instructed Noah to construct an arc right in front of His eyes. After inspecting Noah’s accomplishment, Allah vouched the complete annihilation of the wrong-doers.

Allah’s two hands are outstretched

 

After Muhammad had migrated to Medina, he remained in penury. Many of his followers went hungry for days and depended on peoples’ charity for their daily living. To placate his critics, especially the Jews, Muhammad insisted on the abundance supply form His Allah. This was not forthcoming; so the Jews said that Muhammad’s Allah is, after all, not so rich On this, Muhammad claimed that the Jews had falsely said that "Allah's hand" is tied up; in reality both His hands are outstretched. This means that Allah does have two hands

This claim of Allah’s two physical hands has been recorded in the Quran:

YUSUFALI: The Jews say: "Allah's hand is tied up." Be their hands tied up and be they accursed for the (blasphemy) they utter. Nay, both His hands are widely outstretched: He giveth and spendeth (of His bounty) as He pleaseth. But the revelation that cometh to thee from Allah increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. Amongst them we have placed enmity and hatred till the Day of Judgment. Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. And Allah loveth not those who do mischief. [Q 005.064]

With His own two outstretched hands Allah created Adam. Having done so, Allah was greatly dismayed that Iblis, the Satan, refrained from worshipping His own hands’ creation, Adam. The holy Qur’an confirms that Allah indeed created Adam with His own two hands.

Let us read verse 38:75:

PICKTHAL: He said: O Iblis! What hindereth thee from falling prostrate before that which I have created with both My hands? Art thou too proud or art thou of the high exalted? [Q 38:75]

Not only that the holy Qur’an confirms the two physical hands for Allah, it also says that Allah will use His two outstretched hands to fold up the heavens (universe)—much like a person who folds a piece of mat or rug with his two hands. After folding up the heavens with His two outstretched hands, He will then hold them (the universe) in His right hand!

Here is the Qur’an talking about Allah’s Hand.

On the resurrection day, the whole earth will be within the fistful of Allah; He will fold up the heavens (universe) inside His right hand (39:67).

YUSUFALI: No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him: On the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the Partners they attribute to Him! [Q 039.067]

Allah’s hand holds the balance of justice

Muhammad insisted that His Allah has hands and with one of His hands, Allah holds the balance of justice. It is much like the picture or sketch one might have seen of a judge who holds a balance of justice in one of his/her hands and a sword in another. Muhammad wanted his followers to have a vivid picture of the uprightness of his Allah. So, he had to use this similarity, which he might have seen in some inscriptions of Roman justice system.

Let us read this hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 206: Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'Spend (O man), and I shall spend on you." He also said, "Allah's Hand is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending night and day." He also said, "Do you see what He has spent since He created the Heavens and the Earth? Nevertheless, what is in His Hand is not decreased, and His Throne was over the water; and in His Hand there is the balance (of justice) whereby He raises and lowers (people)."

Sahih Bukhari also confirms that Allah has a right hand and a left hand. On His left hand is the balance of justice. Nothing is mentioned what Allah holds in His right hand. One may imagine what He holds in His right hand must be very huge—probably, the earth’s population or a huge sack of money or a bounty. This hadith does not mention the content of Allah’s right hand, except that it is full. Let us read this hadith:

Allah's right hand is full, on the other hand He holds the balance of justice, His throne is over the water...(Sahih Bukhari, 9.93.515)

 

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 515: Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "The Right (Hand) of Allah Is full, and (Its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending night and day. Do you see what He has spent since He created the Heavens and the Earth? Yet all that has not decreased what is in His Right Hand. His Throne is over the water and in His other Hand is the Bounty or the Power to bring about death, and He raises some people and brings others down." (See Hadith No. 508)

Allah has shin

 

Please do not laugh. We already read that Allah has legs, feet, eyes, hands. To confirm further that Allah is truly anthropomorphic, Muhammad insisted that not only Allah has feet, he even has shin. Verse 68:42 of the holy Qur’an says that on the resurrection day Allah will lay bare His shin for the unbelievers to prostrate; but they will fail to do so.

Let us read verse 68:42

YUSUFALI: The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to bow in adoration, but they shall not be able,- [Q 068.042]

A hadith in Sahih Bukhari says that Allah will, indeed, open His Shin to the unbelievers. This hadith is very long; I shall quote only the relevant part:

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 532s: Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri:
…Then the Almighty will come to them in a shape other than the one which they saw the first time, and He will say, 'I am your Lord,' and they will say, 'You are not our Lord.' And none will speak: to Him then but the Prophets, and then it will be said to them, 'Do you know any sign by which you can recognize Him?' They will say. 'The Shin,' and so Allah will then uncover His Shin whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him and there will remain those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation. These people will try to prostrate but their backs will be rigid like one piece of a wood (and they will not be able to prostrate). Then the bridge will be laid across Hell." We, the companions of the Prophet said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the bridge?...

The above hadith says quite unmistakably that on the Resurrection Day there will be no problem in seeing Allah in His physical form; He will be recognized by His shin.

Allah has a very noble, handsome face

 

We might wonder: with stretched arms, legs feet, bared shin and protruding ears how will Allah look like. This is also described in the holy Qur’an. Just like a handsome and dignified person, Allah also has a majestic, bountiful and honourable face.

Let us read verse 55:26–27.

YUSUFALI: All that is on earth will perish: [Q 055.026]
YUSUFALI: But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.  [Q 055.027]

Let us read another verse. This verse confirms that Allah holds His bounties in His hand.

YUSUFALI: "And believe no one unless he follows your religion." Say: "True guidance is the Guidance of Allah: (Fear ye) Lest a revelation be sent to someone (else) Like unto that which was sent unto you? or that those (Receiving such revelation) should engage you in argument before your Lord?" Say: "All bounties are in the hand of Allah: He granteth them to whom He pleaseth: And Allah careth for all, and He knoweth all things." [Q 003.073]

Dr Takiuddin al-Hilali and Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan, the translators of The Noble Qur’an, commenting on this verse, write:

All that has been revealed in Allah’s Book (the Qur’an) as regards the (Sifat) Qualities of Allah the Most high, like the face, eyes, hands, Shins (Legs), his coming, His rising over His Throne (Istawa) and others, or all that Allah’s Messenger qualified Him in the true authentic Prophet’s Ahadith (narrations) as regards His Qualities like (Nuzul), His descent or His laughing and others, the religious scholars of the Qur’an and the Sunnah believe in these Qualities of Allah and they confirm that these are really His Qualities, without Tawil (interpreting their meanings into different) or Tashbih (giving resemblance) or similarity in any specific creatures) or (Ta’til) (i.e., completely ignoring or denying them, i.e., there is no Face, or Eyes or Hands, or Shins for Allah). These qualities befit or suit only for Allah Alone, and He does not resemble any of (His) creatures. As Allah’s Statement (in the Qur’an): (1) “There is nothing like him, and he is the All-Hearer, the All- Seer.” (V.42:11).” (2) “There is none comparable unto Him.” (V.112-4) (Hilali and Khan, 1996, p. 91, foot notes 1 and 2).

I quoted those few words from two impeccable Islamic scholars to be fair. If anything we could conclude from the above comment it will be: the Qur’an is a minefield of ambiguities, incoherence and contradictions. Those two scholars have simply confirmed this truth. You will learn more of Allah’s contradictions in another part of this essay.

Allah shows His face only to the dead Muslims; the unbelievers will not see His face

To confuse the faithful Muslims, Muhammad’s Allah simply avoids to show His Handsome, Majestic Face to the unbelievers. Only the believers (i.e., the Muslims) will see His face.

Let us read verse 83:13–16:

The reason why Muhammad had to resort to this marvellous trick to entice people to Islam is not difficult to fathom. This sura is an early Meccan sura, the time when Muhammad was very weak and just had about a score or so followers. The majority pagan Quraysh, when asked Muhammad to describe his Allah, he failed. It was because the pagans already had a version of Allah of their own (more on this in a separate part). They could not accept Muhammad’s description of Allah. Angry and frustrated, Muhammad simply rebuked the pagans for not accepting his Allah and he resorted to cursing them with the denial of Allah’s blessings. Please note: in the previous section, we noted that Allah will show His Shin to the infidels. One might wonder why Allah has to hide His Face to the unbelievers when they could easily view Allah’s naked Shin. This is, yet another enigma of the Qur’an.

Allah speaks like a human

 

If we believe what the previous two impeccable Islamist scholars (Hilali and Khan) opined about the anthropomorphic nature of Allah, then the Qur’an must be wrong. In several verses of the Qur’an we read that Allah did talk like a human being. He, as a fire, spoke with Moses (27:9). On a spoken command from Allah, Moses’ stick turned into a snake. Frightened, Moses turned tail; but Allah called back Moses (27:9–10, 28:31). How was it possible for Moses to hear Allah’s voice if Allah did not use the same language as a human would to communicate verbally with Moses? If this is not convincing enough, there is more surprises. The holy Qur’an says that a fearful Moses heard a voice from a tree: it was Allah. Allah called Moses in His own voice. No angel or jinn was there to convey Allah’s messages to Moses. Allah Himself spoke with Moses (28:30). On another occasion, the holy Qur’an maintains, that Allah indeed called Moses in the valley of Tuwa (79:15–16).

Let us read those verses from the Qur’an:

YUSUFALI: But when he came to the (fire), a voice was heard: "Blessed are those in the fire and those around: and glory to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. [Q 027.008]
YUSUFALI: "O Moses! verily, I am Allah, the exalted in might, the wise!.... [Q 027.009]

YUSUFALI: "Now do thou throw thy rod!" But when he saw it moving (of its own accord)as if it had been a snake, he turned back in retreat, and retraced not his steps: "O Moses!" (it was said), "Fear not: truly, in My presence, those called as messengers have no fear,- [Q 027.010]

YUSUFALI: But when he came to the (fire), a voice was heard from the right bank of the valley, from a tree in hallowed ground: "O Moses! Verily I am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.... [Q 028.030]
YUSUFALI: "Now do thou throw thy rod!" but when he saw it moving (of its own accord) as if it had been a snake, he turned back in retreat, and retraced not his steps: O Moses!" (It was said), "Draw near, and fear not: for thou art of those who are secure. [Q 028.031]

YUSUFALI: Has the story of Moses reached thee? [Q 079.015]

YUSUFALI: Behold, thy Lord did call to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa:- [Q 079.016]

Here is a hadith from Sunaan Abu Dawud, which tells us that Allah indeed spoke directly with Moses without any messengers between them. The funny part is: this was revealed by Adam to Moses when they were arguing in Paradise. Let us read this hilarious hadith:

Sunaan Abu Dawud, volume 3, hadith number 4685:
‘Umar b. al-Khattab reported that Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Moses said: My Lord, show us Adam who caused us and himself to come out from Paradise. So Allah showed him Adam. He asked: Are you our father, Adam? Adam said to him: Yes. He said: Are you the one into whom Allah breathed of His spirit, taught you all the names, and commanded angels (to prostrate) and they prostrated to you? He replied: Yes. He asked: Then what moved you to cause us and yourself to come out from Paradise? Adam asked him: And who are you? He said: I am Moses. He said: You are the Prophet of Banu Israi’l to whom Allah spoke from behind a screen, appointing no messenger between you and Him. He said: Yes. He asked: Did you not find that that was decreed in the Book (records) of Allah before I was created? He replied: Yes. He asked: then why do you blame me about a thing for which Divine had already passed before me? The apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: So Adam got the better of Moses in argument (peace be upon them).

Allah had talked face to face to a jihadist

 

As per the Islamic rule, when a suicide bomber gives up his life in a killing mission he goes straight to Paradise. He does not need to wait for the Judgment Day, linger for Allah’s decision and then be sent to his rightful abode. After his death, the jihadist (in this case the suicide bomber) instantly meets Allah and Allah talks to him face to face. This proves that Allah speaks like a human being and accosts the diehard jihaditsts just the way we do in this world. Here is a hadith from Ibn Majah:

Sunaan ibn Majah, Vol I, Hadith number 190:
Talha b. Khirash is reported to have said, “I heard jabir b. ‘Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) as saying: As Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. Haram was killed on the day of Uhud (battle), Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) met me and said, “O Jabir should I not tell you what Allah said about your father?” Yahya in his hadith has reported (these words): O Jabir, what is the matter that I see you broken‑hearted…?” He said, “I told him: Allah’s Messenger, my father has been martyred and he left behind some dependants and a debt.” He (the Holy Prophet) said, “Should I not give you the glad-tidings of that with which Allah met your father?” He said, “Yes, Allah’s Messenger.” He (the Holy Prophet) said, “Allah has never talked with anyone but from behind a curtain, but he talked with your father face to face and said, “O My bondsman, desire from Me, I shall grant you.” He said, “My Lord, (I wish) that You give a new life to me and I am killed for Thine sake for the second time. Upon this, the Lord, Hallowed be He said: It has already been decided by me that he will not return to it (a new life.”  He said, “My Lord, so convey (this) to those left behind me.” The narrator said that Allah sent down (the verse): Never, they are living with their Lord, they are given provision (3:16).
                As‑Samadi said, “This hadith has not singularly been transmitted by Ibn Majah: neither in text nor in isnad. Tirmidhi has transmitted it in at‑Tafsir (i.e. chapter concerning the interpretation of the Qur’anic verses and suras and then has held it as a hasan gharib hadith. We do not know it except from the hadith of Musa b. Ibrahim from whom the eminent scholars of hadith have narrated it.

To reinforce the contention that Allah grants special audience to the jihaditsts, Allah meets them in person immediately after their holy death. Here is another hadith from Sahih Bukhari. This hadith tells us that those Muslims slaughtered at Bir Mauna met Allah; it was in the Qur’an; later this verse was removed (Sahih Bukhari, 4.52.299)

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 299: Narrated Anas:
The people of the tribes of Ril, Dhakwan, 'Usiya and Bani Lihyan came to the Prophet and claimed that they had embraced Islam, and they requested him to support them with some men to fight their own people. The Prophet supported them with seventy men from the Ansar whom we used to call Al-Qurra' (i.e. Scholars) who (out of piety) used to cut wood during the day and pray all the night. So, those people took the (seventy) men till they reached a place called Bi'r-Ma'ana where they betrayed and martyred them. So, the Prophet invoked evil on the tribe of Ril, Dhakwan and Bani Lihyan for one month in the prayer.

Narrated Qatada: Anas told us that they (i.e. Muslims) used to recite a Quranic Verse concerning those martyrs which was:-- "O Allah! Let our people be informed on our behalf that we have met our Lord Who has got pleased with us and made us pleased." Then the Verse was cancelled.

When those young jihaditsts died at Bir Mauna, Gabriel informed Muhammad that the jihaditsts met Allah, they were pleased with Him and Allah was pleased with them; a verse was released on this; later the verse was cancelled (Sahih Bukhari, 4.52.57)

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 57: Narrated Anas:
The Prophet sent seventy men from the tribe of Bani Salim to the tribe of Bani Amir. When they reached there, my maternal uncle said to them, "I will go ahead of you, and if they allow me to convey the message of Allah's Apostle (it will be all right); otherwise you will remain close to me." So he went ahead of them and the pagans granted him security. But while he was reporting the message of the Prophet, they beckoned to one of their men who stabbed him to death. My maternal uncle said, "Allah is Greater! By the Lord of the Kaba, I am successful." After that they attached the rest of the party and killed them all except a lame man who went up to the top of the mountain. (Hammam, a sub-narrator said, "I think another man was saved along with him)." Gabriel informed the Prophet that they (i.e. the martyrs) met their Lord, and He was pleased with them and made them pleased. We used to recite, "Inform our people that we have met our Lord, He is pleased with us and He has made us pleased” Later on this Quranic Verse was cancelled. The Prophet invoked Allah for forty days to curse the murderers from the tribe of Ral, Dhakwan, Bani Lihyan and Bam Usaiya who disobeyed Allah and his Apostle

Those two ahadith tell us that the verse containing this episode was later removed from the Qur’an. We might wonder why? Here is the reason: in this (I mean the cancelled verse) verse the martyrs are talking and not Allah. Read the hadith carefully. If the Qur’an contained such a verse spoken by a human jihadist, the entire credibility of the Qur’an as the Words of Allah and consequently, the entire edifice of Islam will tumble. Muhammad was astute enough to understand this truth. So he acted accordingly—expunged the offending and potentially damaging verse from the Qur’an.

A similar, but a longer version of this hadith can be read in Sahih Bukhari 5.59.421.

Volume 5, Book 59, Number 421: Narrated Anas bin Malik :
The Prophet invoked evil upon those (people) who killed his companions at Bir Mauna for 30 days (in the morning prayer). He invoked evil upon (tribes of) Ril, Lihyan and Usaiya who disobeyed Allah and His Apostle. Allah revealed a Quranic Verse to His Prophet regarding those who had been killed, i.e. the Muslims killed at Bir Ma'una, and we recited the Verse till later it was cancelled. (The Verse was :) 'Inform our people that we have met our Lord, and He is pleased with us, and we are pleased with Him."

Please note that to meet a physical Allah non-jihaditst Muslims have to die and wait till the Resurrection Day.

Here are a few Qur’anic verses on this:

On the resurrection day Allah will descend with ranks (row after row) of angels...89:22

YUSUFALI: And thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank, [Q 089.022]

When they meet Allah the believers’ salutation will be ‘peace’...33:44

YUSUFALI: Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace!"; and He has prepared for them a generous Reward. [Q 033.044]

On the resurrection day, Allah Himself will reply all questions…40:16

YUSUFALI: The Day whereon they will (all) come forth: not a single thing concerning them is hidden from Allah. Whose will be the dominion that Day?" That of Allah, the One the Irresistible! [Q 040.016]

Please reflect on verse 40:16: who do you think is talking here—Allah or Muhammad?

To dispel all the mumbo-jumbo of the apologist Islamic scholars, here is a hadith (sahih quoted partly because of its length) from Sahih Bukhari (8.76.577) which tells us unmistakably, that on the Resurrection Day the sun worshippers will follow the sun, the moon worshippers will follow the moon, the idol worshippers will follow their deities; Allah will appear to the Muslims in a shape and will lead them to cross the bridge over fire, then the wrong doers will be sent to hell and the true believers will be sent to Paradise.

Volume 8, Book 76, Number 577: Narrated Abu Huraira:
…Then Allah will come to then in a shape they know and will say, "I am your Lord.' They will say, '(No doubt) You are our Lord,' and they will follow Him. Then a bridge will be laid over the (Hell) Fire." Allah's Apostle added, "I will be the first to cross it…

Here is another hadith which tells us that Allah is anthropomorphic—He does posses a shape and will be an entity—just like a flesh–and–blood being.

You will definitely see Allah with your own eyes...(Sahih Bukhari, 9.93.530, 531)

Allah is seated on a Throne with His angels guarding Him

 

When we read the Qur’an describing the attributes of Allah, we are amazed that Muhammad had taken extreme care to describe his Allah. He compared Allah to a human king—just like the kings in many countries, seated on a huge throne and conducting His affairs from this throne (more on Allah’s throne in a later part of this essay). The Qur’an even tells us that Allah created His throne and then He walked to it and rose over it to take His seat. Read the following verses from the Qur’an.

Allah created the heavens (first) and (then) the earth in six days then he rose over His throne...7:54

007.054
YUSUFALI: Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!

Allah created the heavens (first) and (then) the earth in six days and (then) He firmly established himself on His throne (i.e. He moved to His throne from somewhere else)...57:4

YUSUFALI: He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and is moreover firmly established on the Throne (of Authority). He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah sees well all that ye do. [Q 057.004]

The angels (eight) will be by the side of Allah's throne (octagonal in shape?)...69:17

 YUSUFALI: And the angels will be on its sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of thy Lord above them. [Q 069.017]

 

Like a security guard Allah watched Muhammad, Noah and other Prophets

Allah watches Muhammad when he prays alone or in congregations…26:218-219

YUSUFALI: Who seeth thee standing forth (in prayer), [Q 26.218]
YUSUFALI: And thy movements among those who prostrate themselves, [Q 26.219]

YUSUFALI: For it is He Who heareth and knoweth all things. [ Q 026.220]

Those few verses will give us the impression that Allah really lives above us and glances over all His creations—similar to the astronauts in an orbit who, from their windows of their spacecraft, glance on the mother planet (earth). Here are few more verses from the holy Qur’an on the visual glances of Allah high above from space.

Allah is like a guardian on a watch-tower—always watchful...89:14

YUSUFALI: For thy Lord is (as a Guardian) on a watch-tower. [Q 089.014]

Allah has two eyes; with His two eyes He saw Noah’s ark…54:13–14

YUSUFALI: But We bore him on an (Ark) made of broad planks and caulked with palm-fibre: [Q 054.013]
YUSUFALI: She floats under our eyes (and care): a recompense to one who had been rejected (with scorn)! [Q 054.014]
 

A hadith in Sunaan Ibn Majah tells us that Allah does indeed glance from above:

Sunaan Ibn Majah, Vol. I, Hadith Number 184:

Jabir b. ‘Abdullah (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “When the inmates of Paradise will (enter) into their blessings, a light will suddenly shine upon them. Upon this, they will raise their heads (and see) that their Lord is glancing them from above. He (the Lord) will say, “Assalamu ‘alaikum (peace be upon you), O the inmates of the Paradise!” He said, “This refers to Allah’s words: The word from the Merciful Lord is: Peace (36:58).” He will look towards them and they will look towards Him and will not pay any attention to anything of the Divine favors as long as they will keep looking towards Him till He will hide (Himself) from them and His Light and His Blessings will last on them in their houses.

In a foot note, Ibn Majah casts some doubt on the authenticity of this hadith. I quoted this hadith just to demonstrate that Muhammad did try to convince his followers about the watchful nature of his Allah. Even without this hadith, there are a number of verses in the Qur’an which unmistakably tell us that Allah has the ears to hear all conversations. Here is such a verse:

Allah heard the complain that a woman brought to Muhammad regarding her husband; Allah hears all conversations…58:1

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YUSUFALI: Allah has indeed heard (and accepted) the statement of the woman who pleads with thee concerning her husband and carries her complaint (in prayer) to Allah: and Allah (always) hears the arguments between both sides among you: for Allah hears and sees (all things).

 

Witnessing a physical Allah is as certain as the observation of the sun and the moon

There are many ahadith which tell us very clearly that Allah is a visible being, though one has to die to see Allah. Here are summaries of a few such ahadith. Readers are requested to verify these ahadith either with the online version of these ahadith or with the print version. Please note that there is no online version of Ibn Majah (or at least, I am yet to see one) and not all ahadith of Sunaan Abu Dawud are available on line. These ahadith, I have quoted in full.

On the resurrection day you will see Allah like you see the sun or the moon on a clear sky …(Sahih Bukhari, 6.60.105)

People will see Allah like a moon...(Sahih Bukhari, 9.93.529)

Background to 50:39: when Muhammad looked at the full moon and said that you would see Allah just like you see the full moon…(Sahih Bukhari, 1.10.529, 547)

You will see Allah as clearly as you see the moon and the sun; hooks will be used to punish the unbelievers; Muhammad, along with his followers will be the first to cross the bridge of hell; some sinners will stay in hell temporarily, some forever  ... (Sahih Bukhari, 1.12.770)

 

Sunaan ibn Majah, volume 1, hadith number 178:

 

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do you crowd (and push one another) to see the moon of the night of the full moon?” they (the audience) said, “No,” whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said, “Similarly, you will not crowd to see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection.”

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Abul Kasem is an Bengali ex-Muslim and academic. He has contributed in Leaving Islam - Apostates Speak Out and Beyond Jihad Critical Voices from Inside. He has also written extensively on Islam in various websites and is the author of four e-Books: In the Name of Allah, Root of Terrorism ala Islamic Style, Sex and Sexuality in Islam, Who Authored the Quran? and Women in Islam. Mr. Kasem leaves in Sydney, Australia. He can be contacted at abul88@hotmail.com.