format_quote Originally Posted by
adamskeptic
I´m going to ask a very blunt and straightforward question.
How is it - seriously now - reasonable to believe that the Quran is actually the literal word of God?
As a very skeptic non-believer, it seems obvious to me that this belief simply does not make any sense, given certain notions of God. Not if one is intellectually honest about it, for real. Not even if you apply the "you have to interpret the text in the right way"-perspective.
Here´s how it seems to me:
God is (supposedly) almighty and omniscient. This means he can do anything, and knows everything about everything. He knows everything that is going to happen everywhere, until the end of time.
Would you agree on these notions of God? If you would, here´s where we run into serious problems.
Apparently, God chose to express Himself exactly the way he did, and his exact words ended up in the Quran - ambiguously enough so as to require a finely calibrated interpretation apparatus in order for Him not to be misunderstood by His followers. So important was this way of speaking in far-fetched allegories to Him, that it obviously trumped the rights of human beings not to get injured or even killed as a result of the inevitable "misinterpretations" of his words - misinterpretations that he must have known about beforehand, being omniscient. He did not choose to express himself consistently in a clear and straightforward way that could not reasonably be interpreted as encouraging violence or hostility in any way. He could have, but he simply didn´t. This very simple fact alone should be enough - to anyone who does not engage in any degree of self-deception - to completely discount the Quran as the literal word of an almighty, benevolent God. Either that or you would have to grant that God is either pretty nasty, or frankly incompetent in getting his message across to his own creation.
Again - please don´t refer to the "the problem lies in the interpretations and not in the text itself"-argument. That argument is an intellectual insult to all parties. The fact is that the text is ambiguous at best, when it should´t have to be. An almighty God should (and would) know better.
So, I ask the question once more: How is it, seriously, reasonable to believe that the Quran is actually the literal word of an almighty, omniscient, benevolent God?
The simplest ANSWER is Al-Quran is NEVER AMBIGUOS. The verses of Al-QURAN is BAYYINAT or CLEAR.
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Al-Quran is MUBIN [BAYYINAT] (CLEAR), it is HIM who makes it CLEAR because HE TAFS°IL (Explains in Detail), and not VAGUE :
Al-An'aam : 105
وَكَذٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْءَايٰتِ وَلِيَقُولُوا دَرَسْتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُۥ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
● And thus do We EXPLAIN IN DETAIL (NUS°ARRIFU) the verses so they may say, "You have studied," and so We may make the Qur'an CLEAR (NUBAIYYINAHU) for the people who KNOW. ●
Al-An'aam : 126
وَهٰذَا صِرٰطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا ۗ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْءَايٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
● And this is the path of your Lord, [leading] straight. We have EXPLAINED in DETAILS (FASS°OLNA) the verses for the people who TAKE HEED. ●
Al-Ahqaf : 7
وَإِذَا تُتْلٰى عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايٰتُنَا بَيِّنٰتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ هٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ
● And when Our verses are recited to them CLEARLY (BAYYINAT), those who DISOBEYS say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is obvious magic." ●
Az-Zukhruf : 2
وَالْكِتٰبِ الْمُبِينِ
● By the CLEAR Book, ●
Allah mentions many time that AL-QURAN is MUBIN.
many-many times.
Al-QURAN is CLEAR.
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1) There are 2 types of verses in The Quran :
a) MUHKAMAAT
b) MUTASYAABIHAAT
Aal-i-Imraan : 7
هُوَ الَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتٰبَ مِنْهُ ءَايٰتٌ مُّحْكَمٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشٰبِهٰتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشٰبَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَآءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِۦ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرّٰسِخُونَ فِى الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُولُوا الْأَلْبٰبِ
● It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise (MUHKAMAAT) - they are the foundation of the Book - and the others are 'unspecific/vague?' (MUTASYAAHIHAAT). As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is 'unspecific?' (MA TASYABAHU), seeking discord and seeking an 'interpretation' (TAKWIL) [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] "interpretation' (TAKWIL) except Allah. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding. ●
Above is normal translation from the Arab to other languange. Most of the time, MUTASYABIHAAT has always been translated to 'Vague' or 'Unspecific'.
[Muhkamaat is always translated to precise, direct and clear. Refer to other article on this. This article is about Mutasyabihat]
2) Now, before we even delve into the true meaning of Mutasyabihat, let us think a bit - how would Allah guide us through the Quran if what HE SAYS in The Quran is VAGUE and UNCLEAR ? How would we, the one who supposed to Read and Understand The Quran will understand ?
3) NOW, let us look at other verse of Al-Quran that mentions the word Mutasyabihat :
Az-Zumar : 23
اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتٰبًا مُّتَشٰبِهًا مَّثَانِىَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلٰى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِى بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ
● Allah has sent down the best statement: a Book wherein its part is RESEMBLING EACH OTHER (MUTASYAABIHAA) and OFF-REPEATED. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the GUIDANCE of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide. ●
4) From the 2 verses above, it is clear that MUTASYAABIHAAT has been INDUCED its interpretation by some Scholars and they would say that MUTASYAABIHAAT means VAGUE or UNCLEAR on UNSPECIFIC.
However, it is clear in verse 23, Az-Zumar that the Actual Meaning of MUTASYAABIHAAT without INDUCED INTERPRETATION is RESEMBLE or ITS MEANING close to each other or Similar or Look alike.
SO, MUTASYABIHAAT means RESEMBLING each other.
5) Now let us look at other verse that use the word Mutasyabihat and we use the real meaning of it :
Al-Baqara : 70
قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشٰبَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ
● They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows LOOK ALIKE (TASYABAHA) to us. And indeed we, if Allah wills, will be guided." ●
The above verse is about People of Moses (MUSA) where when commanded to sacrifice a Cow, they asked too many questions leading to a simple command becomes so difficult to be executed.
6) Let us go back to the verse 7, Aali-Imran :
Aal-i-Imraan : 7
هُوَ الَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتٰبَ مِنْهُ ءَايٰتٌ مُّحْكَمٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشٰبِهٰتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشٰبَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَآءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِۦ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرّٰسِخُونَ فِى الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُولُوا الْأَلْبٰبِ
● It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] MUHKAMAT - they are the foundation of the Book - and others RESEMBLING EACH OTHER (MUTASYAAABIHAAT). As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is WHAT RESEMBLING from IT[THE BOOK] (MA TASYABHA MINHU), seeking discord and seeking an INTERPRETATION (TAKWIL) [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] INTERPRETATION (TAKWIL) except Allah. But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except THOSE OF UNDERSTANDING (ULUL ALBAB). ●
The meaning of Muhkamat is skipped for this scope of article.
It is clear that Mutasyabihat means Resembling each other.
Now, the other word that most translation has done WRONG is the words :
MA TASYABAHA MINHU.
- which also being translated as VAGUE.
That is Wrong.
The real meaning is :
MA = What or Whatever
TASYABAHA = which RESEMBLES
MINHU = from It(the Book)
The whole meaning of the wordings is :
"As for those whose hearts in deviation, they will follow WHAT RESEMBLES AL-QURAN..."
It means PEOPLE whose HEART (QALBU) has been deviated, they DONT FOLLOW AL-QURAN but they FOLLOW what LOOKS LIKE or SIMILAR to Al-Quran.
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