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Rebuttal to Akbarally Meherally : Abraham and the Child of Sacrifice Revisited [5]
Responses to Akbarally Meherally's site
Meherally' latest posting of Nov 6
In Meherally' latest posting of Nov. 6, 1999, he now switches subjects
to something totally unrelated to our initial discussion of Isaac and
Ishmael. The fact that he must change the topic, tossing out red herrings,
clearly reinforces the case that Meherally has proven himself incapable
of dealing with any of my arguments. Let us proceed to his red herrings:
Meherally:
Sam Shamoun writes:
I used Genesis 17:15-21 to demonstrate the point that God's promises
about Isaac, WHICH INCLUDED MAKING A COVENANT WITH HIM BUT WAS NOT LIMITED
TO JUST THAT ASPECT, did not include Ishmael at all. Amazingly, you twisted
the citation and quoted only a part of it, leaving out the very part that
was essential in establishing Isaac's preeminence over Ishmael:
My response to the above:
The gist of Sam's thrust is that his essential purpose in citing Genesis 17:15-21
was to establish Isaac's preeminence over Ishmael. Out of God's several promises,
within the cited texts, I faithfully quoted the God's Covenants as they do appear
in the Bible. There was not distortion or twist in it. However, I did not quote
the not so important promises. I now thank Sam Shamoun for his passionate objection
to the above omission. If he had not disputed, I would not have quoted the entire
text from Genesis 17:15-21.
Praise Be To Allah, in quoting the entire text, I discovered God's promises for
Ishmael, as well. As demonstrated earlier, these promises by God for Ishmael have
established who has the preeminence in the eyes of God. If Sam refuses to see this
greater preeminence of Ishmael over Isaac which is so apparent, within the text
cited by him, then that is Sam's own problem.
Response:
Is this really all you have to say by way of response? I'm glad you were able
to discover the true biblical position on Ishmael, one finding no parallels
with the Muslim view. Furthermore, I am going to repeat your words here for
the readers to see what I have been claiming all along:
"Praise Be To Allah, in quoting the entire text, I DISCOVERED GOD'S
PROMISES FOR ISHMAEL, AS WELL."
This statement clearly implies that Meherally had not read the chapter before
my citation from it in my article. Yet, Meherally feels that he can exegete
a passage despite having failed to read the entire context in which a statement
appears. This again demonstrates that Meherally does not read carefully or
clearly, and makes hasty generalizations. Mr. Meherally thank you for indirectly
admitting this fact to us, we appreciate it!
Just for the record, in case Meherally tries to accuse me of saying things
which I have not claimed, I want to say that I have never said that the Quran
makes a covenant with Isaac and yet not with Ishmael. Nor do I claim that the
covenant the Quran alludes to is identical with the one God made with Isaac
in the Holy Bible. I admit that the Quran clearly mentions covenants that God
has made with Adam, Israel, Isaac, Ishmael, believers etc. In fact, here is
sampling of verses from the Quran to affirm this fact:
When Allah made (His) covenant with the prophets, (He said): Behold
that which I have given you of the Scripture and knowledge. And afterward
there will come unto you a messenger, confirming that which ye possess. Ye
shall believe in him and ye shall help him. He said: Do ye agree, and will
ye take up My burden (which I lay upon you) in this (matter)? They answered:
We agree. He said: Then bear ye witness. I will be a witness with you. S. 3:81
"And when We exacted a covenant from the prophets, and from thee
(O Muhammad) and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary. We
took from them a solemn covenant..." S. 33:7
The making of a covenant with all the prophets would also include both Isaac
and Ishmael, as the following verses show:
"So, when he had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshipping
beside Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob. Each of them We made a prophet."
S. 19:49
"And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his
promise, and he was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet." S. 19:54
"And (remember, O Children of Israel) when We made a covenant
with you and caused the mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast that
which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may
ward off (evil)." S. 2:63
"And verily We made a covenant of old with Adam, but he forgot,
and We found no constancy in him." S. 20:115
And when We made the House (at Makka) a resort for mankind and sanctuary,
(saying): Take as your place of worship the place where Abraham stood (to pray).
And We imposed a duty upon Abraham and Ishmael, (saying): Purify My house
for those who go around and those who meditate therein and those who bow down
and prostrate themselves (in worship). S. 2:125 Pickthall
Hopeflly, Meherally will now drop this issue.
Meherally:
Dr. Jamal Badawai...
Sam Shamoun writes:
BTW, we are still waiting for an acknowledgment from Meherally on his misquotation
of Badawi. Should we assume that since Meherally has failed to comment thus far
on this fact that he was deliberately trying to deceive and mislead his readers?
My response to the above:
Here goes the story. One day I was surfing the website "answering-islam".
I read a statement that duly supported what I was trying to convey to my
readers, from the Islamic history. This particular statement was connected
with Dr. Badawi's earlier statements, mentioned in that article. I picked up
that passage and placed it on my web site. I mentioned, the statement came from
Dr. Badawi. When I learnt that this was Sam's statement, in response to Dr. Badawi,
I immediately deleted it from my article.
And, added underneath the heading of the said article: (last updated and modified
Oct. 19, 99) in bold types. Sam is vehemently accusing me of deliberately deceiving
and misleading my readers by mixing up the name of the contributor.
Response:
Yet, this is precisely the problem. The fact that you assumed the statement
came from Badawi affirms what I have been saying, namely THAT YOU DO NOT READ
CAREFULLY! Furthermore, it is okay for you to make a mistake but not for others.
Hence, my mistake was deception whereas yours was purely unintentional. Why the
double standard? Finally, even though you had a note informing your readers
that the article containing the misquotation had been modified you still failed
to comment on the misquotation itself. Why did you not specifically tell your
readers what was being modified and that you had falsely attributed a quotation
to Badawi? Hence, the charge of deception sticks much better with you rather
than me.
Meherally:
Here is my question to Sam: IF my error of mixing up the authorship of a "statement"
appearing on the Internet is viewed by you as a deliberate attempt on my part
to "deceive and mislead" my Internet readers then HOW SERIOUS DO YOU CONSIDER
the mixing up the authorship of the published "Holy Books" of THE HOLY BIBLE
for several centuries?
IN THE OLD TESTAMENTS:
In the Authorized King James Version, until 1976 DEUTERONOMY was called
"The Fifth Book of Moses"
The authorship belonged to Prophet Moses.
In nearly all the Revised Versions of the King James Version:
The title "The Fifth Book of Moses" has been Expunged or Erased.
The authorship of DEUTERONOMY now belongs to Prophet Moses and Joshua jointly.
The name of Joshua appears as the "probable author".
Response:
Mr. Meherally, can you please explain to us in what way do the opinions
and comments of translators' effect the integrity of the Holy Bible?
Had you been able to show that the inspired text of scripture contained
the above statements then you might have had a case. Besides, for one
translator to say that Moses wrote Deuteronomy, while another says Moses
and Joshua poses no real difficulty whatsoever. If I were to write 90% of
a book and died before completion, would it be wrong for someone to
attribute the book's authorship to me despite the fact that someone else,
let's say Jochen Katz, wrote the remaining portion? Obviously not, just
as it wouldn't be wrong for someone else to say that Sam Shamoun and
Jochen Katz were actually the authors of the book I intended to write
but did not complete due to my untimely death, God forbid!
Hence, Meherally grasps at straws since, a) he attacks the comments of
translators that have no bearing on the inspired text, and b) claims
to have found an error when actually the only error is the one assumed
in Meherally's own mind.
Meherally:
Could Prophet Moses have written in his Book, the followings?
"The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days;
then the period of mourning for Moses was ended." Deut. 34: 8
"Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses,
whom the Lord knew face to face." Deut. 34:10
Response:
This is perhaps the strangest objection Meherally could possibly bring up.
As a Muslim, Meherally believes in both revelation and prophecy. Meherally
also believes that Moses was able to predict the advent of a prophet who
was to come hundreds of years later. In Meherally's opinion, this prophet
was Muhammad. Yet, if it were possible for Moses to predict the advent
of a prophet that was to come hundreds of years after him, why would
Meherally find it hard to accept the fact that Moses could have also
recorded his death as well? If he could predict the future advent of
a prophet that was to come later, then it is also possible for Moses
to record his death by revelation given to him from God. Meherally argues
as if he were an atheist, not like one who believes in God and revelation.
Meherally:
IN THE NEW TESTAMENTS
In the Authorized King James Versions, until as late as 1976, HEBREWS was called:
"The Epistle (or The Letter) of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews".
In nearly all the Revised Versions of the recent dates HEBREWS is now called:
"The Epistle (or The Letter) to the Hebrews".
The authorship of Hebrews now belongs to a pseudo author (man or could be woman),
whose identity is unknown. Someone who spoke of Timothy as his/her "brother".
Martin Luther suggested the name of Apollos. Tertullian said the author was
Barnabas. William Ramsey suggested he was Philip. Adolf Harnack and J. Rendel
Harris speculated Priscilla (or Prisca).
Response:
How does the author's anonymity effect the inspiration of the book of Hebrews?
Inspiration does not originate with the author, but with God. Hence, whether
Paul, Apollos, Philip or Prisca wrote it is irrelevant since all these individuals
were either disciples of Christ or the companions of the Lord's beloved Apostles.
We believe these individuals were inspired by the Holy Spirit to record God's
word. Yet, we can no more prove this than you can prove that Gabriel spoke with
Muhammad face to face and revealed the Quran to the latter. Just in case you
want to question the integrity of the Apostle Paul, here is something from
Ibn Ishaq's Sira Rasulullah, as translated by Alfred Guillaume:
"God has sent me (Muhammad) to all men, so take a message from me, God have
mercy on you. Do not hang back from me as the disciples hung back from Jesus
son of Mary. They asked how they hung back and he said, 'He called them to
a task similar to that which I have called you. Those who had to go a short
journey were pleased and accepted. Those who had a long journey before them
were displeased and refused to go, and Jesus complained of them to God.
(Tabari. From that very night) every one of them was able to speak the
language of the people to whom he was sent.' (Tabari. Jesus said, 'This is
a thing that God has determined that you should do, so go.'
"Those whom Jesus son of Mary sent, both disciples and those who came after
them, in the land were: Peter the disciple AND PAUL WITH HIM, (PAUL BELONGED
TO THE FOLLOWERS AND WAS NOT A DISCIPLE) to Rome. Andrew and Matthew to
the land of the cannibals; Thomas to the land of Babel, which is in the land
of the east; Philip to Carthage and Africa; John to Ephesus the city of the
young men of the cave; James to Jerusalem which is Aelia the city of the
sanctuary; Bartholomew to Arabia which is the land of Hijaz; Simon to the
land of Berbers; Judah who was not one of the disciples was put in place of
Judas" (The Life of Muhammad, p. 653)
QUESTION FOR MEHERALLY:
Since the earliest Muslim source on Muhammad's life documents that Paul was
a legitimate messenger of Christ's teaching and Peter's companion, how could
you even question Paul's integrity when neither Muhammad nor his followers
did so? Can you please provide documentation where Muhammad and his followers
attacked Paul's integrity? I have quoted one Islamic source that claims the
opposite of what you have tried to demonstrate in your writings on the
Apostle Paul.
Meherally:
THE HOLY DECEPTION: In 2 Thessalonians 3:17, Paul has specifically mentioned
that "every letter of mine (his)" will bear a special kind of greeting in
his own hand. This Signature of Paul, which do appear on all the other Letters
was missing on The Letter to The Hebrews. In spite of that fact, the Authorized
King James Version clearly stated; "The Epistle (or The Letter) of Paul the
Apostle to the Hebrews".
Sam: Is this not viewed by you as a "THE HOLY DECEPTION"?
Response:
Once again, please explain to us how a translator's insertion or comments
that does not form part of the inspired text effects the integrity of the
Holy Bible? The fact that this is all you could produce speaks volumes on
how weak your arguments really are.
Meherally:
BELIEVE IT OR NOT it is in the Book of Hebrews one finds the doctrine of
The Blood of Christ continually taking away the sins.... (Hebrews 9:18-26).
It is this pseudo author (identity unknown), who has given his own
hypothetical doctrine and the supposed assurance to the readers of the
New Testaments. Christ Jesus never spoke of this speculative dogma.
Tom Harpur, author of several books on Jesus and Christianity and
a former professor of the New Testament and a former Minister writes:
"Perhaps I am lacking in piety or some basic instinct, but I know I am
not alone in finding the idea of Jesus' death as atonement for sins of
all humanity on one level bewildering and on the other morally repugnant.
Jesus never to my knowledge said anything to indicate that forgiveness from
God could only be granted after or because of the cross." 'For Christ's Sake' p. 75.
And, yet Sam speaks of "Holy Bible's superiority over the Quran"!!!
Response:
The necessity of the shedding of blood, and more specifically the blood
of Jesus, God's Son, for the remission of sins is something taught throughout
inspired Scripture as the following examples clearly demonstrate:
Old Testament:
The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who
died when they approached the LORD. The LORD said to Moses: Tell
your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy
Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark,
or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement
cover. This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with
a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is
to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to
his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen
turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with
water before he puts them on. From the Israelite community he
is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt
offering. Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to
make atonement for himself and his household. Then he is to take
the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for
the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the
goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering.
But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive
before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into
the desert as a scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the bull for his own
sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he
is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. He is to take
a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and
two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind
the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD,
and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above
the Testimony, so that he will not die. He is to take some of the
bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the
atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger
seven times before the atonement cover. He shall then slaughter
the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood
behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood:
He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.
In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place
because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever
their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting,
which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one
is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make
atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made
atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of
Israel. Then he shall come out to the altar that is before
the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull's
blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on all the horns of
the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger
seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness
of the Israelites. When Aaron has finished making atonement for the
Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring
forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the
live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of
the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat's head. He
shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed
for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary
place; and the man shall release it in the desert. Then Aaron is to
go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on
before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.
He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his
regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt
offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to
make atonement for himself and for the people. He shall also
burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. The man who releases
the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself
with water; afterward he may come into the camp. The bull and
the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the
Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;
their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. The man who burns
them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward
he may come into the camp. This is to be a lasting ordinance for
you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves
and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among
you—because on this day atonement will be made for you,
to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from
all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves;
it is a lasting ordinance. The priest who is anointed and ordained
to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is
to put on the sacred linen garments and make atonement for the
Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for
the priests and all the people of the community. This is to
be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once
a year for all the sins of the Israelites. And it was done,
as the LORD commanded Moses. Leviticus 16:1-34
"Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any
blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood
and will cut him off from his people. For the life of a creature
is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement
for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement
for one's life." Leviticus 17:10-11
John the Baptist:
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"
John 1:29
Jesus:
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat;
this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered
it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins.'" Matthew 26:26-28
"In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out
for you.'" Luke 22:20
"'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world.' Then the Jews began
to argue sharply among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh
to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life
in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is
real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father
sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me
will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread
will live forever." John 6:51-58
Paul:
"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he
bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the
testimony given in its proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Peter:
"...who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to
Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours
in abundance." 1 Peter 1:2
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver
or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed
down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ,
a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19
John:
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from
all sin." 1 John 1:7
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our
defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole
world." 1 John 2:1-2
"... and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from
the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and
has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and
priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power
for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6
"And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and
to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you
purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation'." Revelation 5:9
"'Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who
are they, and where did they come from?' I answered, 'Sir, you know.'
And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation;
they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.'" Revelation 7:13-14
"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from
death." Revelation 12:11
This means that Tom Harpur either was trying to deceive his readers when
making his statemet that Jesus never taught the necessity of his cross
for salvation, or he had not read the Holy Bible carefully. Furthermore,
Meherally appeals to Harpur as if he were an infallible authority for
Christians. The only infallible authority binding on the conscience of
Christians is God's inspired word, the Holy Bible. Hence, all claims must
be tested in light of the Holy Bible. We have tested both Harpur's and
Meherally's repeated claims and have found them wanting.
Since, Meherally tried to change the subject by trying to prove that
the Holy Bible is an inferior revelation in comparison to the Quran,
we have questions of our own. The difference with our questions is that
we will be looking at the text itself, not the commentaries of translators
that have no bearing on the written record, much like what Akbarally
has attacked throughout his article:
Useless Words Of The Quran
The Quran contains useless words that have no bearing on the life of
a Muslim. They are:
- Alif Lam Ra- Suras 10, 11, 12, 14, 15.
- Alif Lam Mim- Suras 2, 3, 29, 30, 31, 32.
- Alif Lam Mim Ra- Sura 13.
- Alif Lam Min Sad- Sura 33.
- Ha Mim- Suras 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46.
- Ha Mim 'Ain Sin Qaf- Sura 42.
- Sad- Sura 38.
- Ta Sin- Sura 27.
- Ta Sin Mim- Suras 26, 28.
- Ta Ha- Sura 20.
- Qaf- Sura 50.
- Ka Ha Ya 'Ain Sad- Sura 19.
- Nun- Sura 68.
- Ya Sin- Sura 36.
The late Christian writer, 'Abdallah 'Abd al-Fadi, wrote:
"Our question is: Considering that only God knows the meaning of these
words, as Muslims claim, what do they benefit us? God never inspires a man
with profitless words; His words are clear and His oracles are a guidance
to the people." (Al-Fadi, Is the Qur'an Infallible? [Light of Life,
P.O. Box 13, A-9503 Villach Austria], p. 297)
A. Yusuf Ali comments on Sura 10 and the meaning of Alif Lam Ra:
"As shown in Appendix I (Sipara 3), the Abbreviated Letters are mystic
symbols, about whose meaning there is no authoritative explanation.
If the theory advanced in n. 25 to ii 1 has any validity,
and the present group A.L.R. is cognate to the group A.L.M., we have to consider
and form some idea in our minds as to the probable meaning of the variation...
But no one should be dogmatic in speculation about mystic Symbols."
(Ali, The Holy Qur'an- Introduction to Sura X [Yunus], p. 481)
We are also told in Ali's footnote 25, p. 17, that the meaning A.L.M.:
"... Much has been written about the meaning of these letters, but
most of it is pure conjecture. Some commentators are content to recognize
them as some mystic symbols, of which it is unprofitable to discuss the
meaning by mere verbal logic. In mysticism we accept symbols as such for
a time being: their esoteric meaning comes from the inner light when we are
ready for it..."
(NOTE TO OUR READERS- We do recommend that you read the omitted portions of
Ali's citations lest Akbarally tries to use this against me and claim that
I was being dishonest in not citing the entire context.)
Muslim translator, Muhammad Asad, has a whole appendix that deals with this issue:
"About one-quarter of the Qur'anic suras are preceded by mysterious
letter-symbols called muqatta'at ('disjointed letters') or, occasionally,
fawatih ('openings') because they appear at the beginning of the relevant
suras. Out of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet, exactly
one-half—that is, fourteen—occur in this position, either singly or
in varying combinations of two, three, four, or five letters. Thye are always
pronounced singly, by their designations and not as mere sounds—thus:
alif lam mim, or ha mim, etc.
"The significance of these letter-symbols has perplexed the
commentators from the earliest times. There is no evidence of the
Prophet's having ever referred to them in any of his recorded utterances,
nor any of his Companions having ever asked him for an explanation. None
the less, it is established beyond any possibility of doubt that all the
Companions—obviously following the example of the Prophet—regarded
the muqatta'at as integral parts of the suras to which they are
prefixed, and used to recite them accordingly: a fact which disposes
effectively of the suggestion advanced by some Western orientalists that
these letters may be no more than the initials of the scribes who wrote down
the individual revelations at the Prophet's dictation, or of the Companions
who recorded them at the time of the final codification of the Qur'an during
the reign of the first three Caliphs.
"Some of the Companions as well as some of their immediate successors
and later Qur'anic commentators were convinced that these letters are
abbreviations of certain words or even phrases relating to God and His
attributes, and tried to 'reconstruct' them with much ingenuity;
but since the possible combinations are practically unlimited, all such
interpretations are highly arbitrary and, therefore, devoid of any real
usefulness..." (Asad, The Message of the Qur'an
[Dar al-Andalus Limited, 3 Library Ramp Gibraltar, rpt. 1993], App. II, p. 992)
After summarizing several different interpretations, Asad concludes:
"... and so, in the last resort, we must content ourselves with
the finding that a solution of this problem still remains beyond our grasp.
This was apparently the view of the four Right-Guided Caliphs, summarized
in these words of Abu Bakr: 'In every divine writ (kitab) there
is [an element of] mystery—and the mystery of the Qur'an is [indicated]
in the openings of [some of] the suras." (Ibid., p. 993)
QUESTION FOR MEHERALLY
Since Asad admits that Muhammad never recited these mysterious letters, where
did the Companions come up with such a practice? The problem with your position
is that you have nothing to appeal to since you do not believe in the integrity
of the early records of Islam and hence have no explanation to offer us as to
the origins of these letters.
Finally:
"We have already mentioned that there are some chapters in the Qur'an whose
names have no meaning. These chapters are: 20, 36, 38, 50, and 68. No one knows
what Taha, Yasin, Sad, Qaf, or Nun mean. Mostly, they are mere letters and
not words as to say, for instance, Chapter N, Chapter S, Chapter Y. Would that
mean anything in English?
"All the Muslim scholars have indicated that they do not know the meanings
of the names of these chapters. God only knows (refer to the Jalalan). On the
other hand, the meanings of the names of the rest of the chapters are understood
and familiar although there are very strange names linked to a mythical episode
which is meaningless, as we will see.
"It should be noted that some of the Qur'anic chapters carry the names of
insects or animals such as the chapters of the Cow, Ants, Spider, Elephant, Bee
and the Cattle. We do not find in the Bible, for example, books with such names
as 'The Book of the Lion' or 'The Bat' or 'The Buffalo' or 'The Book of the Serpent'.
We also find in the Qur'an some chapters entitled, 'Chapter of the Afternoon', or
'The Dawn', or 'The Night', or 'Morning'."
"Moreover, there are strange stories which were the reasons behind these
given names. Also, we are going to relate some stories recorded in the Qur'an
which are only fit to be narrated by grandparents to children as part of folklore."
(Behind the Veil, pp. 215-217 also found on the web here.
The authors produce an example of why some of these chapters were titled
after insects and the like:
"In this chapter (i.e., Sura 27, Chapter of the Ants), the Qur'an says:
""And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the
Jinn and humankind and of the birds and they were set in the battle order.
Till, when they reached the valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed,
"O Ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you."
And Solomon smiled, laughing at her speech.'
"This is the reason why this chapter is entitled, 'The Ant'. All scholars
(without exception) present this episode as it is recorded. They acknowledge that
it is supernatural, yet it truly happened with Solomon, the Wise (refer to Baydawi,
page 501; the Jalalan, p. 316,317).
"When Qatada, one of Muhammad's companions, came to Iraq, he was surrounded
by some Muslims who inquired of him about this episode. The Imam Abu Hanifa who
was still a lad, asked him, 'Was the ant of Solomon male or female?' He answered,
'It was a female.' This is what Zamakh-shari has recorded. He even mentioned
that the ant which warned its friends was called Tahina and Solomon heard her
when he was still three miles away." (Ibid., p. 216)
We also highly recommend the following link which further documents the useless
aspects of the Quranic revelation:
A Perfect Quran Part 4
In light of the preceding evidence, can Meherally now claim that the Quran even
approaches the authority and clarity of the Holy Bible? In light of the evidence,
we are again forced to conclude that the Holy Bible is a vastly superior revelation,
far superior from the Quran.
Sam Shamoun
Responses to Akbarally Meherally
Answering Islam Home Page