Quran Inconsistency
Sam
Shamoun
The Quran, despite accusing Jews and
Christians of being disbelievers for their rejection of Muhammad, nonetheless
distinguishes them from al-mushrikeen or those who disbelieve in the
absolute unity of Allah by ascribing divinity to other beings:
Those who disbelieve
from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and among Al-Mushrikun,
were not going to leave (their disbelief) until there came to them clear
evidence. S. 98:1
The Quran even instructs Muslims to tell Jews
and Christians that they have the very same God:
And do not argue
with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner
- unless it be such of them as are bent on evildoing - and say:
"We believe in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, as well
as that which has been bestowed upon you: or our God and your God is one
and the same, and it is unto Him that We [all] surrender
ourselves." S. 29:46 Muhammad Asad (http://www.geocities.com/masad02/021)
Note how the following versions translate
this specific passage:
… and say: "We
believe in that which is sent down to us and that which is sent down to you; Our
God and your God is the same One God to Whom we submit as Muslims."
F. Malik
… and say, "We
believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you, and our
god and your god is one and the same; to Him we are submitters."
Khalifa
One commentary explains that:
And do not dispute
with the People of the Scripture unless it be with that - in that manner of
disputation, bettering the most virtuous way, such as calling [them] to God by
[reference to] His signs and pointing out His arguments; except [in the
case of] those of them who have done wrong, by waging war and refusing to
accept [to pay] the jizya-tax: dispute with these using the sword, until such
time as they submit or pay the jizya-tax; and say, to those who have
accepted [the imposition upon them of] the jizya-tax, should they inform you of
something stated in their Scriptures: 'We believe in that which has been
revealed to us and revealed to you - and neither believe nor disbelieve them in
that [which they tell you] - our God and your God is one [and the same],
and to Him we submit', [to Him] we are obedient. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn: http://altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=29&tAyahNo=46&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
In light of such candid admission that the
Muslims and the People of the Book are all worshiping the same God it only
makes perfect sense that the Quran would therefore allow Muslims to eat the
food of the Jews and Christians and to marry their virtuous women:
They will question
thee what is permitted them. Say: 'The good things are permitted you; and such
hunting creatures as you teach, training them as hounds, and teaching them as
God has taught you -- eat what they seize for you, and mention God's Name
over it. Fear God; God is swift at the reckoning.' Today the good
things are permitted you, and the food of those who were given the Book is
permitted to you, and permitted to them is your food; Likewise
believing women in wedlock, and in wedlock women of them who were given
the Book before you if you give them their wages, in wedlock and not in
licence, or as taking lovers. Whoso disbelieves in the faith, his work has
failed, and in the world to come he shall be among the losers. S. 5:4-5 Asad (http://www.geocities.com/masad02/005)
Even though it expressly prohibits the
Muslims from eating the food and marrying the women of al-mushrikeen or
the disbelievers in Islamic monotheism due to their worshiping others in the
place of Allah:
AND DO NOT marry women
who ascribe divinity to aught beside God (al-mushrikati) ere they
attain to [true] belief: for any believing bondwoman [of God] is certainly
better than a woman who ascribes divinity to aught beside God
(mushrikatin), even though she please you greatly. And do not give your
women in marriage to men who ascribe divinity to aught beside God
(al-mushrikeena) ere they attain to [true] belief: for- any believing
bondman [of God] is certainly better than a man who ascribes divinity to
aught beside God (mushrikin), even though he please you greatly. [Such
as] these invite unto the fire, whereas God invites unto paradise, and unto
[the achievement of] forgiveness by His leave; and He makes clear His messages
unto mankind, so that they might bear them in mind. S. 2:221 Asad (http://www.geocities.com/masad02/002c)
He has forbidden you
only the Maytatah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine, and
that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah
(or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned
while slaughtering). But if one is forced by necessity without willful
disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly,
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. S. 2:173
Forbidden to you
(for food) are: Al-Maytatah (the dead animals - cattle-beast not
slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been
slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah (or has been
slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned
while slaughtering), and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a
violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which
has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it
(before its death) and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An-Nusub
(stone altars). (Forbidden) also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision,
(all) that is Fisqun (disobedience of Allah and sin). This day, those
who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them not, but
fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But as for him who is
forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin (such can eat these
above-mentioned meats), then surely, God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. S.
5:3
Noted Sunni exegete Ibn Kathir stated that:
<And that
which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than Allah.> Therefore, the animals on which a name other than
Allah was mentioned upon slaughtering it, is impermissible, because Allah made
it necessary to mention His Glorious Name upon slaughtering the animals, which
He created. Whoever does not do so, mentioning other than Allah's Name, such
as the name of an idol, a false deity or a monument, when slaughtering,
he makes this meat unlawful, according to the consensus… (Tafsir Ibn Kathir,
Q. 5:3: http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=5&tid=13192;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
In fact, the Quran is rather strict on eating
foods over which the name of Allah has not been pronounced:
EAT, then, of that over
which God's name has been pronounced, if you truly believe in His
messages. And why should you not eat of that over which God's name has been
pronounced, seeing that He has so clearly spelled out to you what He has
forbidden you [to eat] unless you are compelled [to do so]? But, behold, [it is
precisely in such matters that] many people lead others astray by their own errant
views, without [having any real] knowledge. Verily, thy Sustainer is fully
aware of those who transgress the bounds of what is right. But abstain from
sinning, be it open or secret - for, behold, those who commit sins shall be
requited for all that they have earned. Hence, eat not of that over which God's
name has not been pronounced: for this would be sinful conduct indeed. Hence,
eat not of that over which God's name has not been pronounced: for this
would be sinful conduct indeed. And, verily, the evil impulses [within men's
hearts] whisper unto those who have made them their own that they should
involve you in argument [as to what is and what is not a sin]; and if you pay
heed unto them, lo! you will become [like] those who ascribe divinity to other
beings or forces beside God. S. 6:118-121 Asad (http://www.geocities.com/masad02/006)
With such stringent prohibitions isn’t it rather
obvious that by permitting Muslims to eat the food and marry the women of the
People of the Book the Muslim scripture is expressly acknowledging that Jews
and Christians are indeed true monotheists who worship the same God of the
Muslims?
But this is where the Muslims run into a bit
of a problem. The Quran, in other passages, labels Jews and Christians as mushriks
for believing such doctrines as the Deity of Christ and that God has sons:
Surely, they
have disbelieved (kafara) who say: "Allah is the Messiah ['Iesa
(Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah ['Iesa (Jesus)]
said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord."
Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah (innahu
man yushrik biAllahi), then Allah has forbidden
Christians, according to the above, are
disbelievers (kuffaar) for attributing Divinity to Jesus, thereby
associating him with Allah which is the sin of shirk.
O you who believe
(in Allah's Oneness and in His Messenger Muhammad SAW)! Verily, the Mushrikun
(polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah,
and in the Message of Muhammad SAW) are Najasun (impure). So let
them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and
if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty.
Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Fight against those who (1) believe not
in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden
by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of
truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves
subdued. And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the
Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is a saying from their
mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers (kafaroo) of
old. Allah's Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the
truth! They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be
their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or
unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and
(they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while
they (Jews and Christians) were commanded [in the Taurat (Torah) and the
Injeel (Gospel)) to worship none but One Ilah (God - Allah) La
ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He)]. Praise and
glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they
associate (with Him) (yushrikoona)." They (the disbelievers, the
Jews and the Christians) want to extinguish Allah's Light (with which Muhammad
SAW has been sent - Islamic Monotheism) with their mouths, but Allah will not
allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the Kafirun
(disbelievers) hate (it). It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad SAW)
with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all
religions even though the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers
in the Oneness of Allah) hate (it). S. 9:28-33 Hilali-Khan
Here, Jews and Christians are likened to the
disbelievers of the past for their saying that Ezra or Jesus respectively is
the Son of Allah. They are further called al-Mushrikun (those who have
committed the sin of ascribing divinity to others besides Allah) since they
have taken their rabbis, monks and Jesus as lords in the place of Allah.
Moreover, according to the Holy Bible true
believers are to pray either to the Father in Jesus’ name,
"You did not
choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that
will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
John 15:16
"In that day
you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give
you whatever you ask in my name." John 16:23
Or to Jesus directly,
"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 14:13-14
"To the church
of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy,
together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ—their Lord and ours:" 1 Corinthians 1:2
Christ’s true followers are also exhorted to
glorify and give thanks to God through the Lord Jesus Christ in and for all
things, especially in the eating of food:
"So whether you
eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1
Corinthians 10:31
"always giving
thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ." Ephesians 5:20
"And whatever
you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians
3:17
"If anyone
speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone
serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things
God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and
the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11
"They forbid
people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created
to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God
and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:3-5
This means that Christians are to bless the
food by praying either to the Father in Jesus’ name or by addressing Christ
directly. How, then, can the Quran permit Muslims to eat the food of Christians
when the Muslim scripture expressly forbids eating anything that is blessed in
the name of someone other than Allah, unless the Quran is actually assuming
that Jesus is Allah?
Does this therefore suggest that Muslims are
(or should be) worshiping the Triune God of the Christians? Are we to
understand from all of these Quranic texts that Muslims are being invited to
confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior?
So much for the Quran being a clear and
consistent message!
Unless noted otherwise, all citations taken
from the Hilali-Khan version of the Quran.
All biblical quotations taken from the New
International Version (NIV).
Further
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/marry_christians.html
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/what_i_worship.html
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/badawi_mushrik.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/christians.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/karim_marry_christians.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/what_i_worship2.html
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/what_i_worship3.htm