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Counter Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun

Is the Holy Spirit Omniscient?

Abdullah Smith

[Part I] [Part II] [Part III] [Part IV] [Part V]

HE WROTE:

Who is he that will lend God a good loan, and He will multiply it for him manifold? God grasps, and outspreads; and unto Him you shall be returned. S. 2:245 Arberry

And when Abraham said, 'My Lord, show me how Thou wilt give life to the dead,' He said, 'Why, dost thou not believe?' 'Yes,' he said, 'but that my heart may be at rest.' Said He, 'Take four birds, and twist them to thee, then set a part of them on every hill, then summon them, and they will come to thee running. And do thou know that God is All-mighty, All-wise. S. 2:260 Arberry

Here are some narrations from the so-called sound hadiths:

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said, "Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him? (See Hadith No. 246,Vol. 2). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 586)

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah created the creation, and when He finished from His creation the Rahm (womb) got up, and Allah said (to it). ‘Stop! What do you want?’ It said; ‘At this place I seek refuge with You from all those who sever me (i.e. sever the ties of Kinship.)’ Allah said: ‘Would you be pleased that I will keep good relation with the one who will keep good relation with you, and I will sever the relation with the one who will sever the relation with you?’ It said: ‘Yes, O my Lord.’ Allah said (to it), ‘That is for you.’" And then Abu Huraira recited the Verse:-- "Would you then if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land, and sever your ties of kinship." (47.22) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 593)

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said, "A man who never did any good deed, said that if he died, his family should burn him and throw half the ashes of his burnt body in the earth and the other half in the sea, for by Allah, if Allah should get hold of him, He would inflict such punishment on him as He would not inflict on anybody among the people. But Allah ordered the sea to collect what was in it (of his ashes) and similarly ordered the earth to collect what was in it (of his ashes). Then Allah said (to the recreated man), ‘Why did you do so?’ The man replied, ‘For being afraid of You, and You know it (very well).’ So Allah forgave him." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 597)

RESPONSE:

God is not asking questions.

It is obvious God knew the answers beforehand and He is asking “questions” to provoke a response.

Regarding Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 597, we can apply Shamoun’s explanation and say that God is procuring a discussion between this man, God already knew the answer, he wanted the man to confess his fear of God, and that explains why He asked him “Why did you do so?”, the man was forced to confess.

Shamoun has not informed us, but many Hadith stories are parables, they are not based on actual facts, Jesus also used parables that were not based on fact.

Here is the definition of “parable”

1. moral or religious story: a short simple story intended to illustrate a moral or religious lesson. (http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary)

A short moral story (often with animal characters) [syn: fable, allegory, apologue] 2: (New Testament) any of the stories told by Jesus to convey his religious message; "the parable of the prodigal son" (www.dictionary.com)

According to these definitions, parables are not factual; they are metaphorical stories to teach a moral lesson.

The Hadith teaches that Allah is all-knowing:

When the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) got up to pray at night (for tahajjud prayer) he uttered the takbir and then said: "Glory be to Thee, O Allah," and "Praise be to Thee" and "Blessed is Thy name," and Exalted is Thy greatness." and "There is no god but Thee." He then said: "There is no god but Allah" three times; he then said: "Allah is altogether great" three times: "I seek refuge in Allah, All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the accursed devil, from his evil suggestion (hamz), from his puffing up (nafkh), and from his spitting (nafth)" He then recited (the Qur'an). (Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri, Abu Dawud)

The Holy Quran teaches that God is All-knowing:

He said: "O Adam! Tell them their natures." When he had told them, Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?" (Al-Quran 2:33)

Ah! ye are those who love them, but they love you not,- though ye believe in the whole of the Book. When they meet you, they say, "We believe": But when they are alone, they bite off the very tips of their fingers at you in their rage. Say: "Perish in your rage; Allah knoweth well all the secrets of the heart." (Al-Quran 3:119)

And call in remembrance the favour of Allah unto you, and His covenant, which He ratified with you, when ye said: "We hear and we obey": And fear Allah, for Allah knoweth well the secrets of your hearts. (Al-Quran 5:7)

Remember in thy dream Allah showed them to thee as few: if He had shown them to thee as many, ye would surely have been discouraged, and ye would surely have disputed in (your) decision; but Allah saved (you): for He knoweth well the (secrets) of (all) hearts. (Al-Quran 8:43)

The Prophet asked questions in order to disseminate knowledge:

Once I was with the Prophet in the mosque at the time of sunset. The Prophet said, "O Abu Dharr! Do you know where the sun sets?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." He said, "It goes and prostrates underneath (Allah's) Throne; and that is Allah's Statement:--

'And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (decreed). And that is the decree of All-Mighty, the All-Knowing....' (36.38)  (Narrated by Abu Dharr, Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet knew the place where the sun sets, but he wanted a response from his companion so he can teach him wisdom!

God was not asking questions out of ignorance, He pre-conceived the answers to these rhetorical questions. If God never asked “questions” to procure a dialogue to disseminate knowledge, it would be fruitless to develop a relationship between His prophets.

For example, God wanted to hear from Moses what he was holding, but God already knew the answer.

Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?" Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. (Exodus 4:1-3)

God was asking to provoke a response which would produce a relationship. God had a very strong relationship with Moses until his death.

HE WROTE:

Smith’s god even forgets and repents!

Then Adam received commandments from his Lord, and his Lord repented towards him; for He is Oft-Repenting (Huwat Tawwaab), Most Merciful. S. 2:37

And remember Moses said to his people: 'O my people! ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf; so turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker.' Then He repented towards you: for He is Oft-Repenting (Huwat Tawwaab), Most Merciful. S. 2:54

Such as took their religion To be more amusement And play, and were deceived By the life of the world. That day shall We forget them As they forgot the meeting Of this day of theirs, And as they were wont To reject Our Signs. S. 7:51

The Hypocrites, men and women, are alike: they enjoin evil, and forbid what is just, and tighten their purse's strings. They have forgotten Allah: so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse. S. 9:67

So taste (the evil of your deeds). Forasmuch as ye forgot the meeting of this your day, lo! We forget you. Taste the doom of immortality because of what ye used to do. S. 32:14

And it will be said: This day We forget you, even as ye forgot the meeting of this your day; and your habitation is the Fire, and there is none to help you. S. 45:34

RESPONSE:

Here is the authentic translation of 2:37, 2:54

YUSUFALI: Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

PICKTHAL: Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo! He is the relenting, the Merciful.

SHAKIR: Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. (2:37)

None of the passages mention God is “repentant”. God forgave the sin of Adam by guiding him, “Adam received commandments from his Lord”.

Why would God repent? It was Adam who needed to repent for his transgression, not God.

The Arabic language is very deep and eloquent, the Arabic words Huwat Tawwaab does not necessarily mean God Himself repented, the Quran signifies the central factor that Adam was repentant, and forgiven, but the actual repentance of Adam (“I repent O Lord”) is not recorded, so Huwat Tawwaab means God relented towards Adam, that is why Pickthal uses the word “relented”. Here is the definition:

To become more sympathetic or amenable and do something previously ruled out or allow something previously forbidden. [1]

To become more lenient, compassionate, or forgiving.   [2]

The disbelievers are constantly warned about God’s punishment, they are urged to repent and save themselves: 

Do they then expect (any thing) but (what happened in) the days of the men who passed away before them? Say: "wait ye then: for I, too, will wait with you." (Al-Quran 10:102)

Therefore proclaim thou the praises (of thy Lord): for by the Grace of thy Lord, thou art no (vulgar) soothsayer, nor art thou one possessed. Or do they say:- "A Poet! we await for him some calamity (hatched) by Time!" Say thou: "Await ye!- I too will wait along with you!" Is it that their faculties of understanding urge them to this, or are they but a people transgressing beyond bounds? (Al-Quran 52:29-31)

Repentance is human, God forgives those who sincerely repent, and He does not accept sarcastic repentance or fake supplications.

The late scholar Abul Ala Mawdudi explains the word Huwat Tawwaab

This means that when Adam became conscious of his act of sin and wanted to return from his state of disobedience to that of obedience, and when he tried to seek remission for his sin from God, he was unable to find the words to use in his prayer to God. In His Mercy God taught him the words with which he could pray.

The word tawbah basically denotes ‘to come back, to turn towards someone’. Tawbah, on the part of man, signifies that he has given up his attitude of disobedience and has returned to submission and obedience to God. The same word used in respect of God means that He has mercifully turned towards His repentant servant so that the latter has once more become an object of His compassionate attention. (Towards Understanding the Quran, vol 1. p. 65)

Even the Bible uses the word “relented”  

Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. (Exodus 32:14, NIV)

The Arabic translation of the Bible uses the word Tawwaab; the Hebrew word is Nacham which translates “repented” in the KJV.

Here is the correct translation:

Then the LORD was sympathetic and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. (Exodus 32:14, NIV)

Here is the second misinterpreted passage: 

YUSUFALI: And remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

PICKTHAL: And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

SHAKIR: And when Musa said to his people: O my people! you have surely been unjust to yourselves by taking the calf (for a god), therefore turn to your Creator (penitently), so kill your people, that is best for you with your Creator: so He turned to you (mercifully), for surely He is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

God forgave the children of Israel for worshipping the calf, and it was the Israelites who needed to repent, not God.

Why would God need to repent? The Arabic language is very deep; Shamoun fails to understand that when it applies Huwat Tawwaab to God, it does not mean God repents!

Regarding the verses 7:51, 9:67, 45:34 Shamoun has seriously misinterpreted them also, the verses mean God will ignore the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment, the cries of disbelievers will be ignored because they did not repent.

God doesn’t really “forget” as one forgets after “shock therapy” which Shamoun badly needs.

He will ignore the disbelievers the way they ignored His prophets, He will not listen to their cries, and even Satan will abandon them on Judgment Day:

And Satan will say when the matter is decided: "It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but ye listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with Allah. For wrong-doers there must be a grievous penalty." (Al-Quran 14:22)

We have quoted several passages to show God is all-Knowing, so it’s not possible for Him to forget especially His own creatures!

Shamoun writes complete nonsense, he can’t even interpret the Quran correctly, so we have to waste our time because of him.

Once again, God will ignore (not forget) the disbelievers, the way they ignored Him:

Such as took their religion To be more amusement And play, and were deceived By the life of the world. That day shall We forget them As they forgot the meeting Of this day of theirs, And as they were wont To reject Our Signs. (Al-Quran 7:51)

The Quran clarifies how God will ignore the disbelievers:

Lo! those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah's covenant and their oaths, they have no portion in the Hereafter. Allah will neither speak to them nor look upon them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow. Theirs will be a painful doom. (Al-Quran 3:77)

Shamoun has seriously misunderstood Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 586. Here is the passage:

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said, "Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him? (See Hadith No. 246,Vol. 2). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 586)

This is very popular Hadith; no Muslims have been deceived by false interpretations that Allah is not all-Knowing. The nature of this Hadith is very poetic, it’s not meant to be taken literally. God is established above His throne, only His presence descends to earth.

God is not asking questions, he is waiting for believers to supplicate and invoke His name. The Prophet Muhammad is describing how God showers blessings on the believers at nighttime.

Shamoun quotes another poetic Hadith by misunderstanding it

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah created the creation, and when He finished from His creation the Rahm (womb) got up, and Allah said (to it). ‘Stop! What do you want?’ It said; ‘At this place I seek refuge with You from all those who sever me (i.e. sever the ties of Kinship.)’ Allah said: ‘Would you be pleased that I will keep good relation with the one who will keep good relation with you, and I will sever the relation with the one who will sever the relation with you?’ It said: ‘Yes, O my Lord.’ Allah said (to it), ‘That is for you.’" And then Abu Huraira recited the Verse:-- "Would you then if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land, and sever your ties of kinship." (47.22) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 593)

God is not asking questions to His own creation! God is personifying his creation, and the Prophet is using Personification, which means: 

A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form, (1)  

The Prophet is teaching his companions to respect the creations of God, to keep the earth clean, so God won’t sever relations with us.

Let us quote verse 2:260 in context:

Hast thou not Turned thy vision to one who disputed with Abraham About his Lord, because Allah had granted him power? Abraham said: "My Lord is He Who Giveth life and death." He said: "I give life and death". Said Abraham: "But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the east: Do thou then cause him to rise from the West." Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected faith. Nor doth Allah Give guidance to a people unjust. Or (take) the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: "Oh! how shall Allah bring it (ever) to life, after (this) its death?" but Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: "How long didst thou tarry (thus)?" He said: (Perhaps) a day or part of a day." He said: "Nay, thou hast tarried thus a hundred years; but look at thy food and thy drink; they show no signs of age; and look at thy donkey: And that We may make of thee a sign unto the people, Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh." When this was shown clearly to him, he said: "I know that Allah hath power over all things." Behold! Abraham said: "My Lord! Show me how Thou givest life to the dead." He said: "Dost thou not then believe?" He said: "Yea! but to satisfy My own undertaking." He said: "Take four birds; Tame them to turn to thee; put a portion of them on every hill and call to them: They will come to thee (Flying) with speed. Then know that Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise."

God knew Abraham was a believer; he was not really asking “questions” but only expressing His great surprise at Abraham’s curiosity of how the dead are raised.  

M. Asad’s translation makes this clear:

And, lo, Abraham said: "O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest life unto the dead!" Said He: "Hast thou, then, no faith?" (Abraham) answered: "Yea, but [let me see it] so that my heart may be set fully at rest." Said He: "Take, then, four birds and teach them to obey thee; . then place them separately on every hill [around thee]; then summon them: they will come flying to thee. And know that God is almighty, wise." [1]

Apparently, God was surprised at Abraham’s curiosity, but He was not asking questions!

Yusuf Ali comments:

Verse 258, we saw, illustrated God’s power over Life and Death, contrasted with man’s vain boasts or imaginings. Verse 259 illustrated how Time is immaterial to God’s working; things, individuals and nations are subject to laws of life and death, which are under God’s complete control, however much we may be mislead by appearances. Now in Verse 260 we are shown the power of wisdom and love : if man can tame birds so that they know him and fly to him, how much more will God’s creatures obey His call at the Resurrection? 

Abraham had complete faith in God’s power, but he wanted, with God’s permission, to give an explanation of that faith to his own heart and mind. Where I have translated “satisfy my own understanding” the literal translation would be “satisfy my own heart”.

The late scholar Abul Ala Mawdudi comments:

People have subjected this incident and the one above to very strange interpretations. If one bears in mind, however, God’s dealings with the Prophets, one will not feel any need to strain one’s energies hammering out such artificially-contrived interpretations. The truth of the matter is that the kind of function that ordinary believers are required to perform requires of them no more than believing in certain truths without perceiving them through their senses. The function entrusted by God to the Prophets is such that they ought to have direct knowledge of the truths, the acceptance of which they are required to invite others too.

Thanks to the nature of their mission, the Prophets had to tell the world that while others resorted to conjecture and fancy, they speak from personal direct observation and experience; that while others could claim to possess only imagination, they possessed reliable knowledge; that while others were blind, they alone had the God-given capacity to perceive the Truth. It is for this reason that the angels come to the Prophets and they see them with their own eyes. It is for this same reason that the Prophets were allowed a glimpse of the system of governance of the heavens and the earth. It is for this same reason again, that they were enabled to observe Heaven and Hell and witness scenes of resurrection. (Towards Understanding Islam, vol 1. pp. 204-205)

HE WROTE:

The point Isaiah was making is that God is in complete control of every aspect of creation and determines everything that occurs. It is an explicit teaching of Scriptures that God decrees and controls all things, even evil itself. In fact, the reason why evil exists is because it serves the purpose of accomplishing God’s perfect and righteous will:

"The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." Proverbs 16:4

"In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will," Ephesians 1:11

Here is an example of how God uses evil to bring forth a greater good:

"And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt." Genesis 45:5-8

"But Joseph said to them, ‘Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.’" Genesis 50:19-20

Joseph correctly understood that the evil that his brothers committed against him was deliberately decreed by God to accomplish the greater good of saving countless lives!

More importantly, God himself does not act crookedly or do evil personally, but has created agents who will freely do the very evil which God decreed should occur:

"With him are strength and wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his." Job 12:16

"Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; no weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, says the LORD." Isaiah 54:16-17

It seems that Smith is advocating the position that God is not in control of the evil that occurs, and therefore is not in complete control of all things. Smith’s position leads to the inevitable conclusion that there are actions and events that are occurring without a divine purpose for them!

RESPONSE:

Shamoun is trying to explain Isaiah 45:7 and disprove the fact that God is not the creator of evil, whereas the Quran says it’s Satan (14:22). However, the Bible portrays God as a vengeful murderer, rapist, and deceiver:

God killed 50,000 people for looking into a box!

He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. (1 Samuel 6:19, NASB)

And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. (KJV)

God wants to rape woman after attacking them:

Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. (Isaiah 3:16-17)

The Bible describes God as the chief deceiver and liar:

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. (Jeremiah 4:10)

LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. (Jeremiah 20:7)

God decides to change his mind:

"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.  The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line. (1 Samuels 2:30-31)

HE WROTE:

As far as Allah not being the creator of evil is concerned, here are what the Quran and hadiths have to say about that:

And they schemed (makaroo), and Allah schemed (makara), and Allah is the best of deceivers and schemers (wa Allahu khayru al-makireen). S. 3:54

And when the unbelievers were devising (yamkuru) against thee, to confine thee, or slay thee, or to expel thee, and were scheming (wa yamkuroona), and Allah was scheming (wa yamkuru); and Allah is the best of deceivers and schemers (wa Allahu khayru al-makireen). S. 8:30

RESPONSE:

Shamoun does not use the honest translation of the Quran; he relies on Arberry’s version.

Let us review the first passage:

003.054
YUSUFALI: And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.

PICKTHAL: And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers.

SHAKIR: And they planned and Allah (also) planned, and Allah is the best of planners.

None of these verses say Allah is a deceiver, the Quran states that God is the best of planners, not deceivers. God’s plan will prevail over the disbelievers, and God will help the Prophet defeat his enemies. The Arabic word almakireena means planners, not “deceivers”. The same Arabic word is used in 8:30

Remember how the Unbelievers plotted against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee, or get thee out (of thy home). They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners (almakireena) is Allah. (Al-Quran 8:30)

The most faithful and honest translation of the Holy Quran is Yusuf Ali, and he translates the Arabic word as “planners”, which is the correct reading. There are only two places in the Quran where almakireena is used, its 3:54 and 8:30. The Holy Quran never portrays Allah as deceptive, it teaches the exact opposite!

Read the following verses:

Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be slain. It is a promise which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Quran. Who fulfilleth His covenant better than Allah? Rejoice then in your bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph. (Al-Quran 9:111)

It was never Allah's (part) that he should send a folk astray after He had guided them until He had made clear unto them what they should avoid. Lo! Allah is Aware of all things. (Al-Quran 9:115)

Hath not the fame of those before them reached them the folk of Noah, Aad, Thamud, the folk of Abraham, the dwellers of Midian and the disasters (which befell them)? Their messengers (from Allah) came unto them with proofs (of Allah's sovereignty). So Allah surely wronged them not, but they did wrong themselves. (Al-Quran 9:70)

The likeness of that which they spend in this life of the world is as the likeness of a biting, icy wind which smiteth the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves, and devastateth it. Allah wronged them not, but they did wrong themselves. (Al-Quran 3:117)

And say (unto them): Act! Allah will behold your actions, and (so will) His messenger and the believers, and ye will be brought back to the Knower of the invisible and the visible, and He will tell you what ye used to do. (Al-Quran 9:105)

Had it been a near adventure and an easy journey they had followed thee, but the distance seemed too far for them. Yet will they swear by Allah (saying): If we had been able we would surely have set out with you. They destroy their souls, and Allah knoweth that they verily are liars. (Al-Quran 9:42)

Allah is not a deceiver, these are Shamoun’s delusions based on his misunderstanding of the Holy Quranic passages, and his personal interpretation of the Quran is different from the authentic Commentaries given to us by Muslim scholars!

HE WROTE:

Allah is the best liar and deceiver of them all!

Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive God, but He deceives them; and when they rise up to pray, they rise up lazily to be seen of men, and do not remember God, except a few; S. 4:142 Palmer

RESPONSE:

Here is the true reading of 4:142

The Hypocrites - they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over-reach them: When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance; (4:142, Yusuf Ali)

Shamoun’s favorite word al-makireen is not present in the Arabic text!

Here is the transliteration of S. 4:142

Inna almunafiqeena yukhadiAAoona Allaha wahuwa khadiAAuhum waitha qamoo ila alssalati qamoo kusala yuraoona alnnasa wala yathkuroona Allaha illa qaleelan

So Palmer’s translation is false, the Arabic word al-makireen is not used.

HE WROTE:

Allah deceives people!

And when We desire to destroy a city, WE COMMAND its men who live at ease, AND THEY COMMIT UNGODLINESS therein, then the Word is realized against it, and We destroy it utterly. S. 17:16

RESPONSE:

Shamoun distorts the Quranic verse, it does not say God commanded the people to sin; they corrupted their own souls after God allowed them to live at ease. God commands the men to repent and worship Him, when they refuse God destroys them like Sodom. There is no indication here that Allah deceives, the city deceives and corrupts itself after guidance comes to them:

What kept men back from belief when guidance came to them, was nothing but this: they said, "Has Allah sent a man (like us) to be (His) Messenger." (Al-Quran 17:94)

The arrogant ones will say to those who had been despised: "Was it we who kept you back from guidance after it reached you? Nay, rather, it was ye who transgressed. (Al-Quran 34:32)

The verse 17:16 emphasizes the Plan of God to bring destruction on ancient cities that reject His message. Men who violate the commands of God after guidance will be punished, unless they sincerely repent.

HE WROTE:

Allah commands people to do evil in order to destroy them!

So We have appointed to every Prophet an enemy -- Satans of men and jinn, revealing tawdry speech to each other, all as a delusion; yet, had thy Lord willed, they would never have done it. So leave them to their forging, S. 6:112 Arberry

Hast thou not seen how We sent the Satans against the unbelievers, to prick them? S. 19:83 Arberry

Allah unleashes satans and demons on the people!

Whomsoever Allah guides, he is the one who follows the right way; and whomsoever He causes to err, these are the losers. And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear; they are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones… Whomsoever Allah causes to err, there is no guide for him; and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on. S. 7:178-179, 186 Shakir

And We have sent no Messenger save with the tongue of his people, that he might make all clear to them; then God leads astray whomsoever He will, and He guides whomsoever He will; and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise. S. 14:4 Arberry

RESPONSE:

All of these verses are misinterpreted; the Bible has verses where God commands adultery and murder. The Bible portrays God as who commands people to do evil, we have quoted several passages.

God tests mankind by good and evil:

Every human being is bound to taste death; and We test you [all] through the bad and the good [things of life] by way of trial: and unto Us you all must return. (Al-Quran 21:35)

Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs. (Al-Quran 3:186)

It is true, God guides whomsoever He wills, and does Shamoun have a problem with this?

We have indeed sent down signs that make things manifest: and Allah guides whom He wills to a way that is straight. (Al-Quran 24:46)

Is he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made alluring, so that he looks upon it as good, (equal to one who is rightly guided)? For Allah leaves to stray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So let not thy soul go out in (vainly) sighing after them: for Allah knows well all that they do! (Al-Quran 35:8)

The Bible records disturbing verses:

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41-43)

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:50-52)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:5-6)

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. (Revelations 12:7-8)

The Bible speaks more of genealogy than the Day of Judgment!

“What a book is the Bible in the matter of variety of contents!...Whole passages are taken up with obscure names, and more is told of a genealogy than of the Day of Judgment. Stories are half told, and the night falls before we can tell where victory lay. Where is there anything (in the Religious Literature of the world) to correspond with this? (Ahmed Deedat, Is the Bible God’s Word, p. 35)

HE WROTE:

Allah leads people astray, deliberately misguiding them!

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
I did not see anything so resembling minor sins as what Abu Huraira said from the Prophet, who said, "Allah has written for the son of Adam his inevitable share of adultery whether he is aware of it or not: The adultery of the eye is the looking (at something which is sinful to look at), and the adultery of the tongue is to utter (what it is unlawful to utter), and the innerself wishes and longs for (adultery) and the private parts turn that into reality or refrain from submitting to the temptation." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 77, Number 609)

Abu al-Aswad reported that 'Imran b Husain asked him: What is your view, what the people do today in the world, and strive for, is it something decreed for them or preordained for them or will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teaching which they did not act upon? I said: Of course, IT IS SOMETHING WHICH IS PREDETERMINED FOR THEM AND PREORDAINED FOR THEM. He (further) said: Then, would it not be an injustice (to punish them)? I felt greatly disturbed because of that, and said: Everything is created by Allah and lies in His Power. He would not be questioned as to what He does, but they would be questioned; thereupon he said to me: May Allah have mercy upon you, I did not mean to ask you but for testing your intelligence. Two men of the tribe of Muzaina came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion that the people do in the world and strive for, is something decreed for them; something preodained for them and will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teachings which they did not act upon, and thus they became deserving of punishment? Thereupon, he said: Of course, it happens AS IT IS DECREED BY DESTINY AND PREORDAINED FOR THEM, and this view is confirmed by this verse of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious: "Consider the soul and Him Who made it perfect, THEN BREATHED INTO ITS SIN and its piety" (xci. 8). (Sahih Muslim, Book 033, Number 6406)

Verily Allah has fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in, and which he OF NECESSITY MUST COMMIT (or there would be no escape from it). (Sahih Muslim, Book 033, Number 6421, see also Number 6422)

Allah predetermines all things, including the adultery that a person must necessarily commit, and even breathes sin into a person’s soul! And Smith had the audacity to say that Allah, his false god, isn’t the creator of evil!

RESPONSE:

Note: There is no law to commit adultery, only the Bible commands adultery (Hosea 3:11).

Shamoun has once again misunderstood.  Here, the Prophet explains how the sons of Adam lust after woman, by glancing at their private parts.

Jesus is recorded to have said:

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

The Prophet Muhammad is reiterating that Adam’s sons stare at woman lustfully, and commit adultery in their heart.

The Holy Quran orders men and woman to lower their gaze:

Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; (Al-Quran 24:30-31)

The Prophet Muhammad told us to avoid evil caricatures and change evil things with our hands and mouth:

"If any of you sees evil, he should change it with his hands. If he cannot do this, then he should change it with his tongue (i.e. say something). If he cannot do this, then he should feel it in his heart, but this is the weakest form of faith." (Sahih Bukhari)

“Son of Adam, your first (unintentional) look is pardonable. But beware that you do not cast the second look” (Al Jassas).

“Beware, never strip yourself of clothes, for with you is the One Who never leaves you alone, except at the time when you attend the call of nature or have intercourse”. (Al-Tirmizi)

“Whatever is above the knee should be covered, and whatever is below the navel should be covered” (Darqutni)

The late scholar Abul Ala Mawdudi says:

The feminine urge for the display of beauty is another evil which is linked up with the evil look. This urge is not always prominent, it is generally hidden in the depths of the heart. It often finds _expression in the selection of pleasing, gauzy and bright clothes, fancy hairdos and such other apparently insignificant aspects of the female behaviour as cannot be enumerated. The Quran has comprehensively termed them all Tabarruj-i-Jahiliyyah. All beautification and make-up which is meant to please and entertain others than the husband is Tabarruj-i-Jahiliyyah. Even if a pretty and bright veil is put on so as to appear attractive and pleasing to the eyes, it is Tabarruj-i-Jahiliyyah. No law can be made to check and control this tendency, as it springs from the woman’s own heart. She herself can only search her heart to detect any hidden evil desire. If it is there it has to be eradicated according to the following Divine Commandment:

“…and do not go about displaying your fineries as women used to do in the days of ignorance” (33:33).

Only that decoration is Islamic which is free from the element of the evil motive. But as soon as it is corrupted by the evil motive it becomes un-Islamic.

(Abul Ala Mawdudi, Purdah and the Status of Woman in Islam, p. 163)

The Prophet is speaking about the evil glance, how we are vulnerable to it.

Adul Ala Mawdudi also says:

“…Islam has first of all eradicated nudity and specified shameful parts which the males and the females have to cover. As regards dress, the conduct of the so-called civilized nations of today is not any different from that of the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The Arabs would freely strip themselves naked before each other. Even while having bath and attending to the call of nature they did not both to have a covering…The dress they wore was such as left a part of their breasts, arm, back and shins uncovered. Almost similar are the conditions prevalent in Europe, America, and Japan in respect of dress these days. (ibid, p. 171)

Islam has given such a correct and psychological interpretation of the sense of modesty in respect of covering the shameful parts of man’s body as has no parallel in any civilization. For instances, the men and woman of the most civilized nations in the world today do not feel any hesitation to uncover any part of their bodies. For them the dress is a means of decoration and not of covering one’s nakedness. But from the Islamic point of view, covering of the shameful parts is more important than mere decoration. Islam enjoys its followers, both male and female, to cover all those parts of their bodies which have attraction for the opposite sex. That is why nudity is an indecency which can never be tolerated by the Islamic Haya. (ibid, p. 166)

Human beings turned out just the way God had planned

The saying "every child of Adam is a sinner" means that every human being is a sinner, sin being an inevitable outcome of a fallible human nature. No matter how righteous a person is, he or she may at times disobey God through ignorance or forgetfulness. The prophet, on whom be peace, meant to emphasize that the best person is the one who seeks forgiveness for his or her sins. Furthermore, he said that one who repents from sin is like one without sin. God says in the Qur'an that He will replace the evil deeds with good for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds (see Qur'an 25:70).

Another saying of the prophet indicates that God actually intended that humans will be a species that commit sins so they can turn to Him and He would forgive them (see Sahih Muslim, Eng. Trans., vol.4, nos. 6620-2). This is a much better explanation than the popular conception according to which God at first sees that humans are good, then God discovers that they are wicked and so, being sorry that He made them in the first place, God eventually decides to wipe them off the face of the earth; but then he changes His mind again and lets them eventually procreate and fill the earth although they are still sinful as ever. The better explanation is that God knew in advance that we would sin, and we turned out just the way God planned. God does not discover new things - He knows everything always. (Shabir Ally, Common Questions People Ask About Islam, p. 42)

Humans are contradictory by nature; they commit sins and good deeds simultaneously.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "Allah has forgiven my followers the evil thoughts that occur to their minds, as long as such thoughts are not put into action or uttered." And Qatada said, "If someone divorces his wife just in his mind, such an unuttered divorce has no effect.:  (Volume 7, Book 63, Number 194, Sahih Bukhari)

HE WROTE:

Smith continues with his distortions:

According to the Bible, God repents (Gen. 6:6) sleeps (Ps. 44:23, 78:65), forgets (Ps. 13:1, Lam. 5:20) claps (Ezek. 21:17, 22:13) whistles (Isaiah 5:26, 7:18) smokes (2 Sam. 22:9, Ps. 18:8, Job 41:20) shaves your legs (Isaiah 7:20) commands Isaiah to strip NAKED (Isaiah 20:1-3) and RIDES female angels (2 Sam. 22:11) who have BREASTS (Rev. 15:6)

Now if the Holy Spirit doesn’t do this, both entities cannot possibly be "one" and co-exist. Read the article http://www.submission.org/god-bible.html

Smith has a problem with the Bible using metaphors to describe God, which is truly astonishing in light of all the metaphors that the Quran uses for his false god. He even dares to lie and distort what some of these passages actually say. For instance, he claims that God rides female angels, something which the Bible never says:

"He rode on a cherub, and flew; he was seen upon the wings of the wind." 2 Samuel 22:11

The angels that God rides are not female angels, but the cherub. To see what cherubs actually look like we only need to cite the following passage:

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoi'achin), the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chalde'ans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming bronze. And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the form of men, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the our had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another; they went every one straight forward, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man in front; the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle at the back. Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. In the midst of the living creatures there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches moving to and fro among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning. Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creaures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of a chrysolite; and the four had the same likeness, their construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. The four wheels had rims and they had spokes; and their rims were full of eyes round about. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, shining like crystal, spread out above their heads. nd under the firmament their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another; and each creature had two wings covering its body. And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the thunder of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of a host; when they stood still, they let down their wings. And there came a voice from above the firmament over their heads; when they stood still, they let down their wings. And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form And upward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about; and downward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance f the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel 1:1-28; cf. Ezekiel 10

RESPONSE:

The Biblical descriptions of God are not metaphors; they are perverted depictions which have no Divine inspiration. Did God actually inspire these verses? The Quran never portrays God as one “sleeping” or “forgetting”. Only the pornographic Bible records statements of God riding naked angels, or cherubs. The fact is Christian artists have always painted angels as naked woman, and the inspiration is derived the Bible.

How do we know Ezekiel was describing cherubs? The word “cherub” is never mentioned! Therefore, Ezekiel was not speaking of cherubs, but male angels. The cherub is a naked angel, a female.

The Bible implies that cherubs are naked angels:

He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover. (Exodus 37:8-9)

HE WROTE:

Smith, because of his perverted mind, thinks that breasts here imply that these angels were women. It seems to have never dawned on him that even men have breasts (their chest!) as the following texts show:

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’" Luke 18:13

"So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, ‘Lord, who is it?’" John 13:25

RESPONSE:

Just because the Bible says men have “breasts” does not preclude the sexual depiction of angels in Rev. 15:6.

Apparently, the Bible is perverted to even apply the word “breasts” to angels, who are called cherubs in the Old Testament (2 Sam. 22:11). Angels don’t have breasts like Jesus, they are spiritual beings The Bible portrays angels as “naked woman” because the Bible writer was perverted, we’ll never know if “breasts” was the original reading of the Greek text!

Compare the verses below:

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. (Psalms 22:9)

And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. (Revelations 15:6)

God rides on cherubim angels who have breasts (2 Sam. 22:11)

HE WROTE:

Anyone having even a slight familiarity with biblical customs and expressions would realize what Isaiah was trying to convey. The act of shaving one’s head and hair was done during the times of mourning:

"When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife." Deuteronomy 21:10-13

"Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off." Isaiah 15:2

God was essentially saying that Assyria would soon mourn due to the destruction and calamity that God would bring upon it.

RESPONSE:

Let us answer from a different angle.

The Bible teaches a fasting person should put oil on their heads, yet Christians do not pour oil on their head.

The practice of using “holy oil” is pagan:

But like Jesus, on the third day Attis rose again." In the darkness of the night a light was brought to his open grave, while the presiding priest anointed the lips of the initiates with holy oil, comforting them with holy oil, comforting them with the words: "To you likewise there shall come salvation from your trouble." The mythologist Sir James Frazer writes: But when night had fallen, the sorrow of the worshipers was turned to joy. For suddenly a light shone in the darkness: the tomb was opened; the god had risen from the dead; and as the priest touched the lips of the weeping mourners with balm, he softly whispered in their ears the glad tidings of salvation. (Timothy Freke, The Jesus Mysteries: Was the “Original Jesus” a Pagan God? p. 55)

HE WROTE:

Now did God command Isaiah to appear completely naked? Let us see:

"In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it, -- at that time the LORD had spoken by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, ‘Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take off your shoes from your feet,’ and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot -- the LORD said, ‘As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians captives and the Ethiopians exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." Isaiah 20:1-4

Because Smith is ignorant of ancient near eastern attire he assumes that this command meant that Isaiah walked completely nude. However, an act such as uncovering the thigh would be classified as nakedness according to biblical teaching:

"And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it." Exodus 20:26

"And you shall make for them linen breeches to cover their naked flesh; from the loins to the thighs they shall reach;" Exodus 28:42

Notice that the action of the priest lifting his leg as he went up the steps of the altar could potentially uncover his nakedness. Obviously, this nakedness is not talking about the priest's private parts, but to an exposure of his upper leg, his thigh. Again:

"Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chalde'ans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind meal, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man." Isaiah 47:1-3

Here, nakedness is again defined as an uncovering of the leg.

What these examples show is that the biblical definition of nakedness does not refer to being completely nude. In the case of Isaiah, his nakedness would entail a putting off of the outer sackcloth while still retaining the tunic or inner vest.

The above examples should sufficiently expose Smith’s gross manhandling of the biblical texts. He has deliberately distorted the passages’ obvious use of metaphorical and poetic language to describe specific theological truths, as well as showing a gross ignorance of biblical customs.

This is particularly astonishing, since Muslims oftentimes call Western women "naked" although they are not literally naked, merely wearing short sleves or a skirt, showing part of their arms or legs. Despite this very common Muslim way of talking about people as naked even though they still have several pieces of clothing on their body, Smith apparently did not get the idea that the Biblical usage of the term may have been similar.

RESPONSE:

Let us examine the passage of Isaiah 20:1-4 closely, God commands Isaiah to strip naked and go barefoot.

"In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it, -- at that time the LORD had spoken by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, ‘Go, and loose the sackcloth from your loins and take off your shoes from your feet,’ and he had done so, walking naked and barefoot -- the LORD said, ‘As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia, SO SHALL the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians captives and the Ethiopians exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." Isaiah 20:1-4

The passage implies that Isaiah may have stripped completely naked that his buttocks were showing, since God is using Isaiah “as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Ethiopia”.

God will never command such shameful acts!

When they do aught that is shameful, they say: "We found our fathers doing so"; and "(Allah) commanded us thus": Say: "Nay, Allah never commands what is shameful: do ye say of Allah what ye know not?" (Al-Quran 7:28)

HE WROTE:

We now turn our attention to the Quran’s depiction of Allah. Smith’s god has a fascination with women’s breasts:

and maidens WITH SWELLING BREASTS, like of age, S. 78:33 Arberry

And VOLUPTOUS women of equal age; Pickthall

RESPONSE:

Regarding 78:33, the correct translation does not include “breasts”.

And maidens for companions, (Pickthall)

and splendid companions well matched, (Muhammad Asad)

Companions of equal age; (Yusuf Ali)

Shamoun has chosen to ignore these translations. We cannot trust Arberry because he was not Muslim; his version is used by missionaries for deception.

Here is the explanation on 78:33

“…Then he talks about houris which are allegorically symbolic beings of bliss in paradise, as actually referring to raisins and fruits. It is his prerogative but this does not provide anything supernatural to look forward to the life of eternity.

It seems that what he was referring to as raisins is kawaa'ib. He challenges what he claims as the Arabic meaning of "beings with swollen breasts," while had he known Arabic, he would have understood the term as "beings of distinction." For this translation, we refer him to a renowned Austrian scholar on the language of the Quran, Muhammad Asad (refer to The Message of the Quran). (Muslim Public Affairs Council)

Brother Sami Zaatari explains:

First of all the Quran is simply discussing the delight of paradise, nothing pornographic there but it is discussing some thing that will happen. It is giving explanations of how it will be in heaven and the pleasures you get. Nothing pornographic they’re at all. You could easily explain this to a kid and tell them beautiful women and when they are old enough you could tell them swelling breasts. However so what possible explanation could you give a kid on Ezekiel 23:20-21, what possibly could you say. 'Oh son this verse is about women who want men who have lower parts of a similar sort to donkeys.

Please visit the following links:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/sami_zaatri/rebuttal_to_sam_shamoun_13_d.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/bassam_zawadi/muslim_men_are_promised_houris.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/bassam_zawadi/islamic_paradise.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/pervert_nonsense.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/x_rated.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/islamic_paradise.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/no_suckling_porn.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/fathers_rape.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/jesus_kissed_mary_magdalene.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/debates/yishan2.htm

http://www.answering-christianity.com/q_w_rights.htm

http://www.islamicvoice.com/october.2000/religion.htm

The Bible Glorifies Sex:

A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. (Song of Solomon 1:13)

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. (Song of Solomon 4:5)

I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples; (Solomon 7:8)

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? (Solomon 8:8)

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour. (Song of Solomon 8:10)

Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her. (Ezekiel 23:8)

HE WROTE:

His god also has a thing with breathing into women’s vaginas/vulvas:

And Mary, daughter of Imran, who guarded her PRIVATE PARTS (ahsanat farjaha), and we breathed THEREIN of our spirit and she verified the words of her Lord and His books, and was of the devout. S. 66:12 Palmer

Here is some friendly advice to Smith. Make sure you have studied your own religion before you try to attack God’s true Word in order to spare yourself from being humiliated so badly and so often.

RESPONSE:

Some friendly advice to Shamoun is to bring some real arguments and not perverted ones which make him look like a pervert, and dis-credits his credibility even more.

This charge has been refuted here:

http://www.geocities.com/noorullahwebsite/shamoun-farj.html

HE WROTE:

The example that Smith gives doesn’t contradict the Trinity, but simply contradicts his distortion and caricature of the doctrine. Smith has committed a categorical fallacy since he assumes that just because Jesus is subject to the Father’s authority this somehow implies that he is also inferior in essence. The fact is that you can have a person who is subject to another in authority while still being co-equal to him in nature. Here are a few examples:

1. Masters and slaves.
2. Husbands and wives.
3. Parents and children.
4. Employers and employees.
5. Kings and their subjects.

We can go on but we are sure that the readers get the picture.

RESPONSE:

The fact that Jesus could not grant the prayer implies a direct contradiction to the trinity. Shamoun believes Jesus and God are one, but since Jesus did not have the power to grant the wish implies that God and Jesus are not one.

Let us review the passages:

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."  (Mark 10:36-40, Matthew 20:22-24)

Jesus did not possess the authority, only God possesses the authority for these types of wishes. Jesus is recorded to have said:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:13-15)

Jesus promised to answer, but he couldn’t answer Zebedee’s mother, which implies that he’s not God.

Shamoun produces a few examples to show that Jesus’ subjection to God’s authority does not preclude his “oneness” with God. This is ridiculous, because the parent and child is not “one”, they are equal by nature, but they are not “one” in essence (trinity).

Similarly, the masters and slaves, the husband and wife, the king and his subjects are not triune.

According to the doctrine, Jesus and God is the same Person, yet the mother and child is not the same Person! The child is subject to his mother’s authority, so the mother is greater; Jesus is subject to God’s authority, so God is greater. The mother and child are not triune, they are separated by status, so Jesus and God are not triune, and they are separated by status. Jesus possessed the nature of a fallible being that made mistakes. Therefore, only God is the granter of these types of wishes, Jesus was utterly powerless. He said “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) and “I can do nothing of my own authority” (John 5:30)

Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you BY WHAT authority I am doing these things. (Matthew 21:24)

Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you BY WHAT authority I am doing these things." (Luke 20:8)

I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." (John 12:50)

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." (John 11:41-42)

Jesus denies authority and sovereignty, all power and wisdom belongs to God who gives power and wisdom to His prophets.

Since Jesus emanated from God, he cannot be God Himself.

Christianity professes that the Holy Spirit emanates from God and yet is God. The Koran teaches that Allah is self-sufficient, self-existing and totally independent. God does not emanate from any other source. From a simple and rational point of view, anything that is used from, or emanates and comes from a source without (not within), cannot be recognized as a primary source but a secondary source. Hence, the Holy Spirit that has emanated cannot be the same as its source.  

If someone argues and says that the Holy Spirit is same as its source then what he is saying is that there was total emanation or 100 % transfer. If that be the case, then the primary source has either annihilated itself (or Himself) or has reproduced a clone. (Akbarally Meherally, Understanding the Bible through Koranic Messages, p. 51)

HE WROTE:

Furthermore, God is not a Being that can be cut in half, but is a multi-personal Being whose essence is indivisible.

Moreover, since there are three distinct, yet inseparable Persons of God each specific Person can assume a distinct role or function in order to accomplish a specific task.

RESPONSE:

The New Testament is the canon of the Pauline Church, the Essene New Testament upholds the Oneness of God whereas the NT contains false references to trinity which have been exposed as sheer fabrications (ex. 1 John 5:7) The Essenes scriptures were destroyed by the false Pauline Christians who rejected God’s unity.  The NT books were written under the influence of Paul ¹, and the Jewish sects of Galilee. We find a mixture of Jewish and Gentile influence, the synoptic Gospels represent the Human Jesus, and the Gospel of John represents the “divine” Jesus.

The trinity is a denial of God’s unity.

In fact, very few preachers can give a reasonable account of either the doctrine of the Trinity of the doctrine of the Incarnation, that is, that Jesus was truly human and yet fully God. They repeat formulae that were worked out, with much quarrelling and bitterness, in the fourth and fifth centuries by men whose need, outlook, and the understanding of the universe were vastly different from our own. These formulae are no longer useful-instead, they raise an insurmountable barrier for many who might otherwise become disciples of Jesus in our day.  

What is most embarrassing for the Church is the difficulty of proving any of these statements of dogma from the New Testament documents. You simply cannot find the doctrine of the Trinity set out anywhere in the Bible, St. Paul has the highest view of Jesus’ role and person, but nowhere does he call him God. Nor does Jesus himself anywhere explicitly claim to be the Second Person of the Trinity, wholly equal to his heavenly Father. As a pious Jew, he would have been shocked and offended by such an idea.  

Over the last decade or so, I have talked as long and as frequently as possible about these particular doctrines with intelligent laypeople and clergy of all denominations, and I have found widespread confusion-in itself bad enough. But there is worse to come. This research has lead me to believe that the great majority of regular churchgoers are tritheists. That is, they profess to believe in one God, but in reality they worship three. (1)

Shamoun ought to do himself a favor by studying the pagan origins of trinity.

(1) http://www.watchtower.org/library/pr/article_04.htm 

(2) http://www.watchtower.org/library/ti/article_04.htm 

(3) http://www.watchtower.org/library/ti/article_03.htm

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