Re: Thoughts & questions concerning Sūrah al-Baqarah.
while i await an answer from muhammad, i will wrap up my last remaining thoughts & questions, or as much as i can as time permits, concerning sūrah al-baqarah, as i've been itchin' to do so. & due to the relatively lengthy amount of time it takes for the moderators to approve posts submitted in this forum, i felt the time spent waiting for the sanctions of any responses other uses have left to propound my inquiries would be better sent having my concerns typed up, submitted & in queue for approval. therefore, i've decided to go ahead & go over whatever i haven't covered.
"the foolish among the people will say, 'what has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?' say, '
to allāh belongs the east and the west. he guides whom he wills to a straight path'" (2:142).
this verse, & a handful of verses that fall immediately after it, discusses the directions faced during prayer, as i understood it, & it brought about a couple questions. first, is salat only permissible while facing either the easterly or westerly direction? from what i read, i'd assume this is the case, but if i'm mistaken, please correct me. moreover, is this because masjid al-haram lies on the latitudinal planes? second, does allāh's belonging to the east & the west have any relevance to the sun's rising in the east and setting in the west? i realize that may sound quite feeble, but it's something i wish to have answered, nonetheless.
"and if you brought to those that were given the scripture every sign, they would not follow your qiblah. nor will you be a follower of their qiblah. nor would they be followers of one another's qiblah. so if you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, indeed, you would then be among the wrongdoers" (2:145).
my problem with this is the latent disregard towards human nature that allāh demonstrates through this verse. along the same lines as my question concerning the seal placed upon the hearts of disbelievers, it appears as if allāh has no faith in mankind —
his creation. it is both discouraging & disheartening to think of allāh as allāh the unfaithful, but that is what imposes itself in my mind when i read this verse & others like it (i.e., those concerning the seal upon the hearts of al-lazina kafaroo), although i realize my question concerning the seal was answered earlier by crayon. i apologize for placing upon allāh adverse attributes, & naturally do not intend to insult, mock or offend, but my elementary understanding of islam & deeply inquisitive mind is bound to produce rather controversial byproducts. it is inborn to vacillate between faiths in search of a truth that pleases oneself & certainly allāh in all his omniscience is aware of that congenital characteristic. thus, with this in mind, his affirmation that current disbelievers "would not follow your qiblah [given every sign]," i take to be making the supposition that regardless of the literature presented to disbelievers & the truths of the qur'an repeatedly revealed to them, they'd continue to turn a blind eye to all that is islam, & this certainly cannot be stated with justification, as it throws everyone who rejects the truths of islam (at the moment) under a generalization of stubbornness &/or ignorance, which in itself is false.
"he has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than allāh. but whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. indeed, allāh is forgiving and merciful" 2:173.
although i'm certain i could do a bit of research & come up with this answer myself, i felt it'd be best left to you, the users of this message board. in brief, why are these things haram?
"and kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. and do not fight them at al-masjid al-haram until they fight you there. but if they fight you, then kill them. such is the recompense of the disbelievers" 2:191.
i've read this 10 times over & have yet to understand why fitnah, or disbelief & its imposition on others, is worse than killing. in actuality, it is hard to stomach an ideology that puts disbelief before martyrdom in terms of what is morally reprehensible. as a result, my questions ascertain to how this can be & the logic that supports it. furthermore, 3 verses later, it goes on to say, "[fighting in] the sacred month is for [aggression committed in] the sacred month, and for [all] violations is legal retribution.
so whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. and fear allāh and know that allāh is with those who fear him" 2:194. what i've bolded is not only a sophomoric resolution to any wrongs done unto a person, but fallacious, as two wrongs don't make a right. reason being, an action that is wrong is wrong regardless of whether or not it is done unto a person who has done it unto you. notwithstanding, this declaration breeds a lack of passivity, condones aggression, all while justifying an elementary problem-solving demeanor through deific warrant. what's wrong with passiveness? why not pursue legal consultation if the wrong done unto you breaches your rights as a human being & you wish to seek reprisal?
in conclusion, i cannot stress enough how any mockery or offensive taken from what i've said is unintended. i know it may not seem so, due to the consistency of my thoughts & questions touching on rather controversial & accusatory topics, but please be cognizant of the fact that all questions asked are done so with respect & with a genuine interest in expanding my knowledge of islam. that being said, for those who take the time to answer my questions, thank you. i appreciate it entirely.
I guess I'll just try to retype it all as best I can, im in a rush though.