Building Qur’anic Plurality

Alqur’an is a text which is rich in symbol and metaphor, and therefore it is open to multiple interpretation. The Alqur’an text with its 6660 verses and 144 sura has been interpreted into thousands of books of tafseer (interpretation). The number of mufassir (interpreters) who are engaged in using different methods and interpretations are similarly uncountable.


We recognize three main theories in the study of texts: the world of the author, the world of the reader, and the world of the text. When text is “codified” in the form of a book for instance, it detaches itself from the “trap” of the author. It becomes an adventure with its own will.

Alqur’an is a text which is rich in symbol and metaphor, and therefore it is open to multiple interpretation. The Alqur’an text with its 6660 verses and 144 sura has been interpreted into thousands of books of tafseer (interpretation). The number of mufassir (interpreters) who are engaged in using different methods and interpretations are similarly uncountable.

As has been analyzed by many mufassir, the ideology and tendency of mufassir as well as tafseer methodology determines the outcome of an inclusive tafseer or vice versa. Or in Piscatori’s wordings, the raw material of Alqur’an is multi-interpretative. It means that alqur’an is like a feast from God which provides various “dishes”, “rice” and “drinks”. The Alqur’an has also always been utilized to legitimate dictatorships and democracies, monarchies and republics, exclusivism and inclusivism, oppression and emancipation and so on.

Our task is how to present the inclusive Alqur’an while at the same time honoring pluralism and democracy, by lifting the neglected verses and those that have been hidden. The methodology of Tafseer must be renewed too in light of the contexts faced by the Muslim community today. Plurality is a divine reality where God intentionally creates different humans, tribes and nations, with different language and skin color (Q.S Hud: 118-119, Q.S Ruum: 22, Q.S al-Hujurat: 13, Q.S Maidah 46-48). God has never distinguished the primordial origin of the human according to race or any other category.

by: Burhanuddin
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THE QUR'AN

Islam today is the religion of about one billion people. It is far from correct to think that all Muslims are familiar with the story of how their religion became established. History as such has never held much interest for most Muslims. What is important about historical events is simply that God works through them. The significant events of the past are those that have a direct impact on people's present situation and their situation in the next world. From this point of view, the one event of overwhelming significance is God's revelation of the Koran. The actual historical and social circumstances in which it was revealed relate to an extremely specialized field of learning that few scholars ever bothered with. The fact that Western historians have devoted a great deal of attention to this issue says something about modern perceptions of what is real and important, but it tells us nothing about Muslim perceptions of the Koran's significance.

Most of this book will be dedicated to bringing out some of the more obvious implications of the Koran's teachings, including what the Koran has to say about itself. At this point, however, it may be useful to say something about the form of the Koran, since most of our readers have probably never seen the book itself, though some may have seen a translation.

Notice that we make a distinction between the Koran and a translation of the Koran. This is normal procedure in the Muslim view of things, in marked contrast with the Christian view, according to which the Bible is Bible, no matter what language it may be written in. For Muslims, the divine Word assumed a specific, Arabic form, and that form is as essential as the meaning that the words convey. Hence only the Arabic Koran is the Koran, and translations are simply interpretations. Translations into the local language of the Islamic world, particularly Persian, were made at a very early date. However, these were not independent books but rather interlinear commentaries on the meaning of the text and aids to understanding.

The Arabic form of the Koran is in many ways more important than the text's meaning. After all, Muslims have disagreed over the exact interpretation of Koranic verses as much as followers of other religions have disagreed over their own scriptures. One of the sources of the richness of Islamic intellectual history is the variety of interpretations provided for the same verses. Muslim thinks often quote the Prophet to the effect that every verse of the Koran has seven meanings, beginning with the literal sense, and as for the seventh and deepest meaning, God alone knows that. (The Prophet's point is obvious to anyone who has studied the text carefully.) The language of the Koran is synthetic and imaginistic - each word has a richness having to do with the special genius of the Arabic language. People naturally understand different meanings from the same verse.

The richness of Koranic language and its receptivity toward different interpretation help explain how this single book could have given shape to one of the world's great civilizations. If everyone had understood exactly the same thing from the text, the religion would never have spread as widely as it has. The Book had to address both the simple and the sophisticated, the shepherd and the philosopher, the scientist and the artist.

The Koran says that God never sends a message except in the language of the people to whom it is addressed: Revelation conforms to the needs of its recipients. The Koran also tells us that Muhammad was sent to all the world's inhabitants. In order to present a message understandable to everyone in the world, the Koran had to speak a language that everyone could understand. And Islam did in fact spread very quickly to most of the civilizations of the world, from China and South-east Asia to Africa and Europe. These people spoke a great diversity of languages - and we mean not only languages of the tongue, but also languages of the heart and mind. The Koran has been able to speak to all of them because of the peculiarities of its own mode of discourse.

Far from being a hinderance to the spread of Islam, as some have imagined, the Arabic language has been an aid. Although the form of the text was fixed, the meaning was left with fluidity and adaptability. People who did not know Arabic were forced to learn the Arabic text and then understand it in terms of their own cultural and linguistic heritage. But no one's interpretation could be final. The next generation could not depend exclusively upon the previous generation's translation and commentary any more than it could ignore the understanding of the text established by the tradition. Each Muslim needs to establish his or her own connection with the scripture. All serious Muslims were forced to enter into this Arabic universe of discourse - a universe, indeed, which they considered divine.

If, on the one hand, the Arabic Koran encouraged diversity of understanding, on the other, it encouraged unity of form. All Muslims recited the same scripture in the same language. They recite their daily required prayers more or less identically. Indeed, given the basic importance of God's revealed Word, recitation is the major way of participating in the Word. Understanding is secondary, because no one can fathom the meaning of God's Word completely. The most important task is to receive and preserve the divine Word. Its Arabic form is all important. What one does with the form that one receives follows after receiving it.

A translation of the Koran is not the Koran., but an interpretation of its meaning. The Koran has been translated dozens of times into English. Each translation represents one person's understanding of the text, each is significantly different from the others, and none is the Koran itself. There is but one Word, but there are as many interpretations of that Word as there are readers…

This is not to say that Islam is a cacophony of divergent interpretations - far from it. By and large there is much less diversity of opinions on the fundamentals of faith and practice than, for example, in Christianity. Those who try their hand at interpretation have to undergo a great deal of training to enter into the Koran's world of discourse. Moreover, this training is accompanied by the embodiment of the Koran through recitation and ritual. The Koran possesses an obvious power to transform those who try to approach it on its own terms. This is precisely what Islam is all about - submission to the will of God as revealed in the Koran - but this is not simply a voluntary submission. The Koran establishes an existential submission in people so that they come to express its fundamental message through their mode of being, no matter how "original" their interpretations may be.

Of course, we are speaking of Koranic interpretation in the context of Islamic faith and practice. Many Westerners who have not been sympathetic toward Islam have offered their interpretations of the Koranic text. There is no reason to suppose that such interpretations will help non-Muslims understand the text that reveals itself to Muslims.

The Arabic book that goes by the name Koran is about as long as the New Testament. In most editions it is between 200 and 400 pagers in length. In contrast to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the Koran issued from the mouth of a single person, who recited what he heard from the angel Gabriel. Both the Jewish and the Christian scriptures are collections of many books that were written down by a large number of human beings, and opinions differ as to their status as revelation. Even if we say that the books of the Bible were all revealed, they were revealed to different people who did not live at the same time or in the same place.

The Koran is divided into chapters of unequal length, each of which is called a sura, a word that means literally "a fence, enclosure, or any part of a structure." The shortest of the suras has ten words, and the longest sura, which is placed second in the text, has 6,100 words. The first sura, the Fatihah ("The Opening"), is relatively short (twenty-five words). From the second sura onward, the suras gradually decrease in length, although is not a hard and fast rule. The last sixty suras take up about as much space as the second.

The Suras are divided into short passages, each of which is called an aya. Some of the longer ayas are much longer than the shortest suras. The word aya is often translated as "verse," but literally it means "sign." This is an extremely significant word, and we will discuss it in some detail.

The content of the Koran is reminiscent of parts of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The Koran tells stories about many of the same persons and draws conclusions for its listeners' edification. The Koran calls the great human examplars of the past prophets and mentions as the most important of these Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Moses is mentioned by name more than any other person, followed by Pharaoh, his great enemy, who is the Koranic archetype of human evil.

The Koran elaborates on the ways in which the followers of the prophets, specifically the Jews and the Christians, have or have not lived up to the prophetic messages. It issues instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. It tells people that they should pray, fast, and take care of the needy. It goes into great detail concerning human interrelationships - such as laws of inheritance and marriage - in a manner reminiscent of parts of the Hebrew Bible but foreign to the New Testament. It tells people that they should observe God's instructions purely for God's sake, not for any worldly aims. It warns those who deny God's message that they will be thrown into the fire of hell, and it promises those who accept the messages that they will be given the bliss of paradise. Much more than the Judeo-Christian Bible, the Koran talks specifically about God. No matter what the topic may be, it finds occasion to refer the discussion back to God., if only by the device of attaching clauses mentioning God by one or more of his names, such as "And God is the Mighty, the Knowing."

For Westerners, the Koran is an extremely difficult text to appreciate, especially in translation. Even for those who have spent enough years studying the Arabic language to read the original, the Koran may appear as disorderly, inaccurate, and illogical. However, there is enough evidence provided by Islamic civilization itself, and by the great philosophers, theologians, and poets who have commented on the text, to be sure that the problem lies on the side of the reader, not the book. The text is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary ever put down on paper. Precisely because it is extraordinary, it does not follow people's expectations as to what a book should be.

At the height of the imperialist era, when social Darwinism had convinced a large number of Westerners that they were situated at the peak of human perfection, many scholars looked upon Muslims with disdain for thinking theta the Koran was worthy of respect. From that high point of human progress, the Koran appeared as a badly written mishmash of old sayings and superstitions.

Most Western scholarship of a more recent vintage has dropped the assumption of cultural superiority and looked at the Koran as a book that has its own unique genius. Positive evaluations are much easier to find that they were fifty years ago. Nevertheless, major barriers remain that prevent an appreciation of the Koran by non-Muslims or by those who do not have a thorough training in the Arabic language and the Islamic sciences. Even such training does not guarantee access to the book.

Many Muslims, especially those who are native Arabic speakers, feel a proprietary relationship to the Koran. However, it is not uncommon to meet people who know a great deal of the text by heart but have not the slightest understanding of the world view that permeates it. This does not necessarily hinder them from absorbing the Koran's transforming influence. But does meant that they are unable to express the Koran's meaning in a way that harmonizes with their own tradition.

The nature of the Koranic world view presents a fundamental barrier to understanding the book. It is true that the Koran's view of things has a deep kinship with both the Jewish and Christian world views, but most people in the modern world have little understanding of those world views either. Simply attending synagogue, church, or mosque does not mean that one sees things any differently from contemporary atheists. Our culture's dominant way of thing are taught to us not in our place of worship, but in our media and educational institutions. We may like to thing that our education is scientific and unbiased, but this is a highly biased judgement, as many contemporary tinkers and social critics have told us.[2]

As a rule, it seems, when people with no grounding in the Islamic world view pick up a translation of the Koran, they have their prejudices confirmed, whatever these may be. No real entrance into the Koranic view of things is possible without some idea of the type of thinking that infuses the text. And that thinking is foreign to the way that we are taught to think in our own culture and in modern education in general.

We do not mean to suggest that people with a modern mindset - which includes practically all English-speaking or modern educated Muslims - will not be able to understand anything of the Koran, or that they should not bother reading the available translations, First of all, the very fact that the Koran has been translated means that the translator has accomplished the task of brining it into the range of modern way of thinking - and, of course, by that very fact may have severely distorted the meaning. In any case, everyone curious about Islam who cannot read Arabic should certainly read the book in translation. As a rule, it is much more useful to open it at random and read a few pages than to try to go through it systematically.

The Koranic world view is closely tied to the Arabic language, which, like Hebrew and Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus), belongs to the Semitic family. The internal logic of Semitic languages is very different from that of Indo-European languages such as English, Latin, Sanskrit, and Persian. To begin with, each word derives from a root that is typically made up of three letters. From the three letter root, many hundreds of derived forms can be constructed, though usually only a few score of these are actually used. We will often discuss Arabic words in explaining the meaning of concepts. Without such discussion it would be impossible to suggest the richness of the associated meanings, the difficulty of translating words into English, and the interrelationships among Arabic words that are obvious in the original.

(1)Vision of Islam (Introduction - pp. XIV - XIX) by Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick - Paragon House, New York (U.S.A.), 1994 - ISBN 1-55778-516-3 (pbk)

(2) Those interested in learning more about some of the criticisms we have in mind might begin by looking at the books cited by Lawrence E. Sullivan in his masterly study, Ic\nchu's Drum: An Orientation to Meaning in South American Religions (New York, Macmillan, 1988), pp.884-85. What he says in the passage leading upto the suggested reading applies also to Western perceptions of Islam: "One of the great disservices to our understanding of South American religions (read: Islam) has been the perception of tribal people (read:Muslims) as slavishly dedicated to an unchanging order revealed in the images of myth and handed down unquestioned and unmodified from one generation to the next.

This attitude accompanies the evaluation of 'myth' as a banal and inane narrative. Tribal peoples (representing 'archaic' modes of thought) childishly cling to their myths., infantile fantasies, whereas mature contemporaries jettison myths with the passage of 'historical times' and the 'entrance' into 'modernity'. It would be fascinating to study these and other justifications proffered for avoiding a serious encounter with the reality of myth [read: Islamic thought] and symbolic acts…. This is not the place to carry out a history of the 'modern' ideas of myth and religion. It is enough to suggest that the Western cultural imagination turned away when it encountered the stunning variety of cultural worlds that appeared for the first time in the Age of Discovery. Doubtless this inward turn sparked the appearance of all sorts of imaginary realities. The Enlightenment, the withdrawal of Western thinkers from the whirling world of cultural values into an utterly imaginary world of 'objective' forms of knowledge, and its intellectual follow-up coined new symbolic currency. These terms brought new meanings and self-definition to Western culture: 'consciousness/unconsciousness,' 'primitive/civilized,' 'ethics/mores,' 'law/custom,' 'critical or reflective thought/action,'"


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The Amazing Qur'an....????

Calling the Qur'an amazing is not something done only by Muslims, who have an appreciation for the book and who are pleased with it; it has been labeled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In fact, even people who hate Islam very much have still called it amazing......?????!!!!

One thing which surprises non_muslims who are examining the book very closely is that the Qur'an does not appear to them to be what they expected. What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the book should look something like that - an old book from the desert. And then they find out that it does not resemble what they expected at all. Additionally, one of the first things that some people assume is that because it is an old book which comes from the desert, it should talk about the desert. Well the Qur'an does talk about the desert - some of its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks about the sea - what it's like to be in a storm on the sea.

Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man who was in the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him a translation of the Qur'an to read. The merchant marine knew nothing about the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Qur'an. When he finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, "This Muhammed, was he a sailor?" He was impressed at how accurately the Qur'an describes a storm on a sea. When he was told, "No as a matter of fact, Muhammed lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on the spot. He was so impressed with the Qur'an's description because he had been in a storm on the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that description had also been in a storm on the sea. The description of "a wave, over it a wave, over it clouds" was not what someone imagining a storm on a sea to be like would have written; rather, it was written by someone who knew what a storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Qur'an is not tied to a certain place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem to originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.

Many centuries before the onset of Muhammed's Prophethood, there was a well-known theory of atomism advanced by the Greek philosopher, Democritus. He and the people who came after him assumed that matter consists of tiny, indestructible, indivisible particles called atoms. The Arabs too, used to deal in the same concept; in fact, the Arabic word dharrah commonly referred to the smallest particle known to man. Now, modern science has discovered that this smallest unit of matter (i.e., the atom, which has all of the same properties as its element) can be split into its component parts. This is a new idea, a development of the last century; yet, interestingly enough, this information had already been documented in the Qur'an which states:

" He [i.e., Allah] is aware of an atom's weight in the heavens and on the earth and even anything smaller than that..."

Undoubtedly, fourteen centuries ago that statement would have looked unusual, even to an Arab. For him, the dharrah was the smallest thing there was. Indeed, this is proof, that the Qur'an is not outdated.

Another example of what one might expect to find in an"old book" that touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies or cures. Various historical sources state that the Prophet gave some advice about health and hygiene, yet most of these pieces of advice are not contained in the Qur'an. At first glance, to the non-Muslims this appears to be a negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allah would not "include" such helpful information in the Qur'an. Some Muslims attempt to explain this absence with the following argument: "Although the Prophet's advice was sound and applicable to the time in which he lived, Allah, in His infinite wisdom, knew that there would come later medical and scientific advances which would make the Prophet's advice appear outdated. When later discoveries occurred, people might say that such information contradicted that which the Prophet had given. Thus, since Allah would never allow any opportunity for the non-Muslims to claim that the Qur'an contradicts itself or the teachings of the Prophet, He only included in the Qur'an information and examples which could stand the test of time."

However, when one examines the true realities of the Qur'an in terms of its existence as a divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly brought into its proper perspective, and the error in such argumentation becomes clear and understandable. It must be understood that the Qur'an is a divine revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine origin. Allah revealed the Qur'an from Himself. It is the words of Allah, which existed before creation, and thus nothing can be added, subtracted or altered. In essence, the Qur'an existed and was complete before the creation of Prophet Muhammed, so it could no


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The Seven Qira'at of the Qur'an

When reading the Qur'an, we frequently refer to Warsh or Hafs and say, "This is Hafs" or "This is Warsh". What we mean by that is that this is the riwaya or Warsh or the riwaya of Hafs. It is the riwaya of a particular qira'a. The qira'at or the readings, or methods of recitation, are named after the leader of a school of Qur'an reciters. Each qira'a derives its authority from a prominent leader of recitation in the second or third century hijri who in turn trace their riwaya or transmission back through the Companions of the Prophet. For instance, in the back of a Warsh Qur'an, you are likely to find "the riwaya of Imam Warsh from Nafi' al-Madini from Abu Ja'far Yazid ibn al-Qa'qa' from 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas from Ubayy ibn Ka'b from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from Jibril, peace be upon him, from the Creator." Or in Hafs you will see "the riwaya of Hafs ibn Sulayman ibn al-Mughira al-Asadi al-Kufi of the qira'a of 'Asim ibn Abi'n-Nujud al-Kufi from Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn Habib as-Sulami from 'Uthman ibn 'Affan and 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and Zayd ibn Thabit and Ubayy ibn Ka'b from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." These all go back to the Prophet.

There are slight differences in these readings, for example, where one stops, as in Surat al-Baqara (1): "Dhalika'l-Kitabu la rayb" or "Dhalika'l-Kitabu la rayba fih" as well as some voweling differences ("suddan" or "saddan"), and sometimes a difference in the letters due to different diacritical marks, as ya' or ta' (turja'una or yurja'una). Sometimes a word will have a shadda or not have a shadda.

In this context, we should mentioned that the Prophet himself said that the Qur'an was revealed in seven dialects (ahruf, sing harf). Harf here means dialect, idiom, or mode of expression. Now, during the khalifate of 'Uthman, this had given rise to squabbling. For instance, the Syrians followed Ubayy ibn Ka'b, the Kufans followed 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, the people of Hims followed al-Miqdad, and the people of Basra followed Abu Musa. To put an end to these squabbles over which was best, 'Uthman decided to unite the community behind one text.

In the time of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Zayd ibn Thabit had been charged by Abu Bakr to gather together all the written parts of the Qur'an and compile a complete text (for a large number of huffaz had been killed in the Battle of Yamama). He did this, and it is reported that he was the first to collect the Qur'an between two covers." This copy went from Abu Bakr to 'Umar and then to Hafsa.

'Uthman used it to make his copy which was then distributed to all parts of the Muslim umma, but it is reported that 'Uthman "made the copies of the Qur'an" or "united the Muslims on a single copy." The impetus to do this was provided by Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman when he returned to Madina after observing regional differences. He said to him, "Take this umma in hand before they differ about the Book like the Christians and Jews." So he sent for the copy made by Abu Bakr which was in the possession of 'Umar's daughter, Hafsa.

The Qurayshi dialect was favoured in this and this eliminated much of the diversity, but some of it was still reflected in the different readings because it was essentially a business of oral transmission and there were no diacriticalmarks in the 'Uthmanic script. People recited the Qur'an as they had read it from their teacher and they in turn passed on this oral transmission.

Within the qira'at, there are two categories:

Mutawatir: a transmission which has independent chains of authorities so wide as to rule out the possibility of any error and on which there is consensus.

Mashhur: these are slightly less wide in their transmission, but still so wide as to make error highly unlikely.

There are 7 mutawatir qira'at and 3 mashhur ones.

The Mutawatir are:

Nafi' (d. 169/785)

Ibn Kathir (d. 120/737)

Abu 'Amr ibn al-'Ala' (d. 154/762)

Ibn 'Amir (d. 154/762)

'Asim (d. 127/744)

Hamza (d. 156/772)

al-Kisa'i (d. 189/904)

The Mashhur:

Abu Ja'far (d. 130/747)

Ya'qub (d. 205/820)

Khalaf (d. 229/843)

There are also some "shadhdh" readings, rare readings which are generally discounted.

It used to be that proper scholars learned all 7 or even 10 qira'at. Sometimes they would use one qira'a one day and another the next day. Some people had copies of the variants marked in them. There was a slavegirl called Tawaddud in the time of Harun ar-Rashid who knew all ten readings by heart,

However, these readings did then to divide up according to location. For instance, in 200 AH, Basra was reciting the qira'a of Abu 'Amr and Ya'qub, Kufa was using Hamza and 'Asim, Syria was using Ibn 'Amir, Makka had Ibn Kathir, and Madina was using Nafi'. Egypt, which was the home of Warsh, used Warsh largely up until the arrival of the Turks. Then Hafs became popular as it was the variant which the Turks used. Hafs, incidentally, is the qira'a of 'Asim, used in Kufa. The Warsh riwaya of the qira'a of Nafi'.

Today, the two readings must used are the qira'a of 'Asim in the riwaya of Hafs, and the qira'a of Nafi' in the riwaya of Warsh. Also in use in Africa is the qira'a of Abu 'Amir in the riwaya of ad-Duri.

Now, each of these readings, or riwayas, is the whole of the Qur'an as recited by a master in all the variants which are transmitted from him. It is a corupus of reciation. The forms of each recitation are referred to by the notable students of the master who recited them. So we will find the tariq (pl. turuq) of so-and-so, the student of the master. Then under the Turuq, there are also the wujuh. We find the wajh of so-and-so from the tariq of so-and-so. There are about twenty riwayat and eighty turuq. So you can see how fine and precise the science of transmission was with these people. The difference between the turuq and wujuh under a riwaya are so slight as to be almost unnoticeable. They are mainly in intonation and diction rather than voweling or inflection. But this is the level of care and precision which these people had.


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The Qur'anic Phenomenon

This work was not able to see the light normally; indeed it is the reconstruction of an original destroyed under special circumstances. We believe, we have saved the essential; the development of an analytic method in the study of the Qur'anic phenomenon.

Practically this method strives to serve two aims: to give on the one hand the young Algerian Muslim an occasion to meditate seriously on his religion, and on the other to suggest a timely reform in the spirit of classical commentary. Indeed, it is necessary to realise that in Algeria, as in all Arab countries, the cultural revolution is passing through a phase: "The Muslim renaissance" which receives all its technical ideas from the western culture, particularly and notably by means of the Egyptian awakening. These technical ideas not only influence the new material life, which is adapted more and more by young Muslims, they also concern in a less susceptible manner, it is true, the spiritual things of the soul-the spiritual life in a word.

In fact, it is amazing, most of the young Muslims today receive their religious build-up and even sometimes their religious impetus, by means of the writings of European specialists. The number of Islamic studies, which appear in Europe, from the pen of eminent orientalists are a fact undeniable. But can one imagine the important place which this type of activity occupies in the movement of modern ideas in Muslim countries? There is in this general crisis an aspect which interests, in particular, the aim of this study, namely: the influence of the work of orientalists on the religious spirit of our young university graduates-either by bibliographic necessity or by simple intellectual affinity-to refer to some of these western sources even for personal Islamic information. In fact the local sources of information are devoid of their cultural treasures, appearing henceforth at the bottom of the national libraries of Europe.

It is curious to note the complacency, in Egypt especially, which helps the most wild ideas coming out of the universities in the West. Unquestionably the most instructive example in this respect is the hypothesis formulated by an English orientalist on "Jahillian poetry". There would be nothing excessively abnormal if, from the moment of publication, the hypothesis of Margoliouth had not received the keen appreciation from the Arabic reviewers and from certain theses of young Arab doctors. It has even acquired the value of a positive criterion, noticeably in the study of Dr. T. Sabbagh on the "METAPHOR" in Qur'an. This author systematicaly refuses, from now on, to consider the Jahillian poetry as a positive domain of Arab philology. Up to this point, "The miracle of the Qur'an" was based on the major argument of the transcendence of the "Word of God" on the "speech" of man. Hitherto, the commentary had recourse to the style to prove the miracle of the Qur'an on a rational basis. But in drawing conclusions from the Margoliouth hypothesis, as in the case of Dr. Sabbagh, it is exactly this basis which would be in error. Since then, the problem of interpretation of the Qur'an would be posed on an extremely important point for the belief of a Muslim, namely: the proof of the miracle of the Qur'an. In any case the intellectual revolution would not have lacked to lead our university youngsters to assert, sooner or later, the weakness in the classical criterion, which had so far furnished the arguments in favour of the supernatural origin of the Qur'an. For a mind with a Cartesian bend, of what value can be an argument proving hitherto purely subjective?

Indeed no Muslim, Algerian in particular, could from now on compare objectively a Qur'anic verse to the period of rhythm or the rhyme of the pre-Islamic era. Long since we have ceased to possess the spirit of Arabic language to be able to draw a judicious conclusion from a literary comparison. Long time ago our belief on this point was satisfied by a principle of authority which hardly agrees with the demands of the spirit of the elite hitherto infatuated with positivism. Hereafter, hence the problem of the commentary is posed in a new angle.

The subject of our study is related, partially, to this doctrine under the relation of the rational conviction with the intellectual conviction, placed first under the aegis of theology. Otherwise, we would like to furnish directly the necessary rational base for this conviction, at any rate, to open methodically and broadly the religious debate in order to lead the Algerian intellectual to build himself this base necessary for his faith.

The method followed here is to tie the particular case of Islam to religious phenomena in general, to place its prophet as the ultimate in the chain of prophetic movement and to place the Our'anic doctrine as the outcome of the stream of monotheistic thought. Consequently, this consists of deducing from the Qur'an, from the phenomenological point of view, an authentic criteria for Islam as a revealed religion. But we cannot neglect to establish the tie, dialectically necessary between the chapters of this study, to pre-establish a first criteria devoted to the messenger, Mohammed, since the second criteria is devoted to the message of the Qur'an. Such are the outlines of the method, which we would like to put at the disposal of the young Algerian intellectual to help him establish the rational basis of his religious faith.
The Religious Phenomenon

That the human conscience faced the metaphysical problem thus and with such regularity, at all its phases of evolution, is itself a problem, which the sociologists wished to resolve by characterising man as "an essentially religious animal". Two divergent theoretical consequences follow from this basically objective definition:

1. Is man "a religious animal" in an inborn instinctive manner, as a consequence of an original disposition of his nature?
2. Or else has he acquired this quality by a sort of psychic osmosis, propagated by entire humanity, begun by an initial cultural accident which occurred among a group of humans?

Precisely these are the two basic theses which arise out of the problem put by the religious phenomena. Of course it would be naive to strive to resolve this philosophical antagonism by a mathematical solution, as some of our estranged intellectuals would wish, probably by an oblivious scientism, or by some elementary principles of Positive science itself. Be that as it may, once the fundamental principle of a system is established the system must remain rigorously compatible with it; coherent in all its consequences.

Now the two questions, which we have just put, as a consequence of the religious phenomenon, do not expose religion by means of science, as one may tend to believe. Science does not prove the inexistence of God. Not any more-we concede it on principle-his existence. The debate here is between two religions, between theism and materialism; between the religion which has postulated God and that which has postulated matter. The aim of this chapter is to compare these two philosophical systems: that which regards the religious sense of man as an original part of his nature-an idea, which is recognised in many aspects as an essential factor of all civilisations: and that which treats religion as a simple historical accident of human culture. And its conclusion would moreover be supported by conclusions from following chapters, which will bring forward also a sort of posterioric proof, furnished by the prophetic phenomenon and the Qur'anic phenomenon, which places religion at the level of a cosmic phenomenon, next to the physical laws.
The Prophetic Movement

In the preceding chapter we have already established the necessity of putting simply a postulate; here we proceed to examine a particular aspect of monotheism, which-while bringing forth with it from the mouths of Prophets, its transcendental proof-becomes itself a criterion for the totality of the religious phenomenon.

Since Abraham, some individuals, moved by an irresistible force had come periodically to talk to people, in the name of an absolute truth, of which they were said to have a personal and exclusive knowledge by a mysterious means-revelation. These men claim themselves to be envoys of God, sent to carry this word to the people, who couldn't listen to it directly. The exclusiveness of this revelation and the convincing character of the mission of a prophet constitute a special aspect of prophethood, which is the essential basis of monotheism and its phenomenological evidence. By the unique testimony of the prophet, the prophethood appears as an objective phenomenon, independent of the human "me" which expresses it. The problem precisely is to find out whether this is something purely subjective and not an objective phenomenon as magnetism, for example. The existence of magnetism is shown to us by a loadstone needle, which exhibits qualitatively and quantitatively the specific aspects of magnetism. But we can only establish the prophethood by means of the testimony of a prophet and the contents of the written message he has brought to propagate. Hence the problem is psychological on the one hand and historic on the other. It should be remarked that the mission of the prophet is not an isolated fact, it is a continuous phenomenon which repeats itself regularly between two fringes of history with Abraham and Muhammad.

The continuity of a phenomenon, which repeats itself periodically is already a useful scientific evidence, to admit in the principle its existence, under the conditions always to verify this by compatible facts with reason or by the nature of the principle. Now from the phenomenological point of view, if a case of a particular prophethood explains or establishes nothing, its repetition under certain conditions justifies the general existence of the phenomenon in a manner already more scientific. Hence it remains to examine seriously the type of this repetition, in order to distinguish its special character, from the general law, which can control the totality of the phenomenon.

One has no valid reason to accept a priori, the prophethood as a psychological accident affecting the history of one human "me". One has also no reason to claim directly the intervention of a pathological factor to explain the prophethood by the personal equation of the prophet in affirming that it is or it could be due to over-excited nerve, or of exalted imagination, or of thought directed by some purely subjective phenomenon.

If it were possible for physicists to make a sample of iron talk under the influence of magnetism, undoubtedly, they would be very happy to ask a lot of precise information rather than deducing it all from known facts, or from some hypothesis which are not rigorously supported by calculation. However, the prophet is a subject who can talk to us of his internal state, who even argues it, first of all for his personal conviction and later for the external service of his mission. If there is prophethood, first of all it ought to be considered as the disturbing cause which breeds in a human "me" the irresistible attraction of a mission, whose motives and aims could not be explained by this "me". That is why the knowledge of the phenomena by the prophet himself is essential for a critical study of the subject. Jonas, Jeremiah, Mohammed are such subjects who are as much individuals and who, at first, wished to voluntarily avoid the prophetic call. They resisted, but finally they were carried away by their call. Their resistance emphasises, however, the polarisation between free will and determinism which bent their wills and subjected their "me". In these indications, there is already a strong presumption for an objective thesis of prophethood.
The Rational Criterion

Mohammed is an illiterate, whose very meagre knowledge could have come to him only from his material environment. In this chivalrous, idolatrous and nomad atmosphere the social and metaphysical problems were never raised. The knowledge of Arabs on the life and thought of other people is insignificant, as can be clearly inferred from pre-isiamic poetry, which forms in this respect a precise source of information. Hence while leaving for his retreat of Ghar Hira, Mohammed could only have the ordinary knowledge of the usual ideas of a primitive milieu. Now the revealed knowledge just shakes up his superficial knowledge, doubly formed by the general ignorance and the very "Ummia" (illiteracy) of Mohammed. It is necessary to visualise the surprising meaninglessness that is expressed in this "read" which is the first word of the revelation. Mohammed is an illiterate; this order shakes him up naturally, since it is so contrary to his being an "ummi". He timidly replies "I can't read". But what a sudden shock for a positive spirit like his!

When, at the subsequent revelation, the voice ordered him to preach, he wonders with anxiety

" I. Who shall believe in me?" There is surprise of the unexpected and an uncertainty of conviction in this question. Moreover the revelation is interrupted for some time. He begins to wish for it, even desperately call for it. But the revelation does not come. Mohammed finds the worst times of his moral crisis at Mount Hira. Further from diminishing, his uncertainty increases tragically. He complains to his sweet wife. She tries to console him but with no avail. Finally, after two years the revelation resumes and brings the supreme and the only consoling expression, The Word, to him.

Now he has an infinitely more objective certainty on this point. But this long wait so anguishing and the unexpected joy which followed it, should be the psychological conditions most favourable to this graceful state of his mind, when there was not any shadow of uncertainty. In fact it was the extreme uncertainty of Mohammed, which obliged him to torment himself and followed the intellectual process which resulted in the final certainty.
The Literary Aspect of Qur'an

The literary aspect of the message, which was the principal subject of study for the classical commentators, loses its importance more or less in our time, which is more scientific than literary. in fact, since we do not have adequate material that contains the spirit of pre-Qur'anic language, we could not judge relevantly the transcendence of the style of the Qur'an. However, there is a verse carrying historical information of the utmost importance on this point. In this verse the Qur'an explicitly claims this transcendence, with which it intends to overcome the literary spirit of the period. It throws a stupefying challenge at its contemporaries as follows: "Bring a single sura similar (to this) and ask for the support of men and jinns, if you wish".

History does not record that this challenge had ever been met. One can conclude from this that the challenge has existed without response and hence that the literary "miracle" had effectively overcome the spirit of the particular period. But as far as we are concerned, there are also some other sources, leading to a conclusion even on this particular aspect of the question. The bedouin spirit is essentially music loving; its aspirations, its moments and its progress are all translated in the rhythmic musical expression of the Arabic verse, whose metre could be as short or as long as the step of a camel. It does not treat any mystical or metaphysical obsession, and it also ignores the dialectical subtleties and the abstractions of philosophical, scientific or religious thought. Its terminology corresponds to the simple requirements of the internal and external life of a bedouin and not of a settler.

Such are the characteristics of this Jahillian, idolatrous nomadic language which the Qur'an nevertheless, bends to its own spirit in order to express a universal thought. Moreover for expressing this thought the Qur'an adapts the form of blank verse, something new in Arabic rhyme: it frees itself from the metre and it is amplified. . . .

Thus when the Qur'an was revealed it was not a progressive evolution for Arabic, but something like a revolutionary explosion: such a philological phenomenon is unique in the history of languages. With a single jump, Arabic had become, from its primitive dialectical stage, a language technically organised to carry the thought of a new culture and a new civilisation.


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THE POOR IN THE QUR'AN

The mercifulness of believers may also be observed in their approach to orphans. The noblest of attitudes that must be shown to orphans, who need the care and interest of others because they have lost their parents, are made explicit in the Qur'an.
One of the exemplary attitudes believers meticulously adopt is "to do good" to orphans and "never to treat them harshly".

In societies in which the values of the Qur'an are not observed, no system has been devised to protect the rights of orphans or to secure their future. Protection, such as it is, depends upon the conscience of the people. For this reason, some ill-intentioned individuals may try to benefit from the lack of experience and ignorance of these children. Indeed, having no one to protect their rights, orphans can readily become subject to abusive treatment at the hands of those who have taken it upon themselves to care for them. Such people may expect orphans to feel gratitude because they have taken them under their wing or they may reproachfully remind them of the kindnesses they have done them. On the other hand, subjecting them to a different kind of treatment, they may oppress these children in both the physical and the spiritual sense. Nevertheless, Allah prohibits subjecting orphans to harsh treatment and condemns those who mistreat them:

Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who do prayer, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off and deny help to others. (Surat al-Ma'un: 1-7)

Contrary to such offensive treatment, Qur'anic morality demands tolerant and compassionate treatment of orphans as expressed in the verse, "(be good to) orphans and the very poor. And speak good words to people". (Surat al-Baqara: 83) Believers meticulously observe this command. Their conscience and understanding of humanity entail the protection of orphans who need help and care, and the meeting of all their spiritual and material needs. Believers never oppress orphans, expect them to appreciate their kindness or strive to obtain any material or spiritual benefits from them. On the contrary, they protect their rights and adopt the best possible attitude. Their strong sense of what is right, their profound fear of Allah and their compassion account for this meticulousness.
Improving the situation in life of orphans and bringing them up as decent individuals:

…They will ask you about the property of orphans. Say, "Managing it in their best interests is best". If you mix your property with theirs, they are your brothers… (Surat al-Baqara: 220)

As is implied in the above verse, Allah advises believers to bring orphans up as decent individuals. Believers show keenness to take this responsibility upon themselves and do their best to educate them in the best way possible.

However, the most important responsibility of a person who takes a child under his protection is to instill in him the noble values of the Qur'an and to make him regard Allah with due appreciation. That is because these are the most important issues that guide the individual to truth and salvation. A child develops moral sense in the light of the knowledge he acquires in his early years and is accordingly prepared for his eternal life in the hereafter. For this reason, this is the most important issue to which a believer pays attention while an orphan under his care is being educated. He does his utmost to ensure that he or she has superior values as a believer. No doubt, this is only made possible by his living by the values of the Qur'an himself. Abiding by Islamic ethics ensures that orphans grow up into decent, intelligent, hard-working individuals.

Allah issues a stern warning to those who misappropriate the wealth of orphans:

People who consume the property of orphans wrongfully consume nothing in their bellies except fire. They will roast in a Searing Blaze. (Surat an-Nisa': 10)

In compliance with the above verse, believers who assume the responsibility for an orphan do not spend that orphan's personal wealth for their own needs or expect anything in return. On the contrary, giving them priority over all others, they protect the rights and wealth of such orphans as are entrusted to them by Allah.

Being meticulous about protecting the wealth of an orphan entrusted to one's care is something peculiar to those who are sincere in their faith, who have a high standard of morality and who grasp the understanding of mercy described in the Qur'an, especially since a guardian is granted the authority to spend the wealth of an orphan. Not spending a penny for one's own personal needs out of a property entrusted to one—despite having the authority to spend from it is truly a matter of conscience. In the Qur'an, Allah advises the wealthy guardian to behave decently in this matter. If the guardian in question is poor, then he is allowed to spend within the due limits specified in the Qur'an. Allah warns that, "devouring" the wealth of the orphan is a grave sin.

Give orphans their property, and do not substitute bad things for good. Do not assimilate their property into your own. Doing that is a serious crime. (Surat an-Nisa': 2)

Fearing Allah and His grievous punishment in the hereafter, believers carefully conserve the wealth of orphans until they reach intellectual maturity. When orphans grow old and mature enough to exercise rational and healthy judgement, believers hand over their property to them. The conditions of this are specified in the Qur'an as follows:

Keep a close check on orphans until they reach a marriageable age, then if you perceive that they have sound judgement hand over their property to them. Do not consume it extravagantly and precipitately before they come of age. Those who are wealthy should abstain from it altogether. Those who are poor should use it sensibly and correctly. When you hand over their property to them ensure that there are witnesses on their behalf. Allah suffices as a Reckoner. (Surat an-Nisa': 6)

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REBELLION IN QUR'AN

We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam!’ and they prostrated, with the exception of Satan. He refused and was arrogant and was one of the unbelievers. (Surat Al-Baqara, 34)


When they are told, ‘Do not cause corruption on the earth,’ they say, ‘We are only putting things right.’ (Surat Al-Baqara, 11)

No indeed! They are the corrupters, but they are not aware of it. (Surat Al-Baqara, 12)

Those who break Allah’s contract after it has been agreed, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption on the earth, it is they who are the lost. (Surat Al-Baqara, 27)

And when you said, ‘Moses, we will not put up with just one kind of food so ask your Lord to supply to us some of what the earth produces – its green vegetables, cucumbers, grains, lentils and onions,’ he said, ‘Do you want to replace what is better with what is inferior? Go back to Egypt, then you will have what you are asking for.’ Abasement and destitution were stamped upon them. They brought down anger from Allah upon themselves. That was because they rejected Allah’s Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so. That was because they rebelled and went beyond the limits. (Surat Al-Baqara, 61)

You are well aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised, cast out.’ (Surat Al-Baqara, 65)

We made it an exemplary punishment for those there then, and those coming afterwards, and a warning to those who have fear of Allah. (Surat Al-Baqara, 66)

Do you really hope they will follow you in belief when a group of them heard Allah’s Word and then, after grasping it, knowingly distorted it? (Surat Al-Baqara, 75)

When they meet those who have belief in Allah, they say, ‘We have belief in Allah.’ But when they go apart with one another, they say, ‘Why do you speak to them about what Allah has disclosed to you, so they can use it as an argument against you before your Lord? Will you not use your intellect?’ (Surat Al-Baqara, 76)

Remember when We made a covenant with the tribe of Israel: ‘Worship none but Allah and be good to your parents and to relatives and orphans and the very poor. And speak good words to people. And establish daily prayer and give alm.’ But then you turned away – except a few of you – you turned aside. (Surat Al-Baqara, 83)

Then you are the people who are killing one another and expelling a group among you from their homes, ganging up against them in wrongdoing and enmity. Yet if they are brought to you as captives, you ransom them, when it was forbidden for you to expel them in the first place! Do you, then, believe in one part of the Book and reject the other? What repayment will there be for any of you who do that except disgrace in this world? And on the Day of Rising, they will be returned to the harshest of punishments. Allah is not unaware of what you do. (Surat Al-Baqara, 85)

We gave Moses the Book and sent a succession of Messengers after him. We gave ‘Jesus, son of Maryam, the Clear Signs and reinforced him with the Purest Soul. Why then, whenever a Messenger came to you with something your lower selves did not desire, did you grow arrogant, and deny some of them and murder others? (Surat Al-Baqara, 87)

What an evil thing they have sold themselves for in rejecting what Allah has sent down, outraged that Allah should send down His favour on whichever of His slaves He wills. They have brought down anger upon anger on themselves. The unbelievers will have a humiliating punishment. (Surat Al-Baqara, 90)

When they are told, ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down,’ they say, ‘Our belief is in what was sent down to us,’ and they reject anything beyond that, even though it is the truth, confirming what they have. Say, ‘Why then, if you are believers, did you previously kill the Prophets of Allah?’ (Surat Al-Baqara, 91)

Remember when We made a covenant with you and lifted up the Mount above your heads: ‘Take hold vigorously of what We have given you and listen.’ They said, ‘We hear and disobey.’ They were made to drink the Calf into their hearts because of their disbelief. Say, ‘If you are believers, what an evil thing your belief has made you do.’ (Surat Al-Baqara, 93)

Or do you want to question your Messenger as Moses was questioned before? Anyone who exchanges belief for disbelief has definitely gone astray from the level way. (Surat Al-Baqara, 108)

When they are told, ‘Follow what Allah has sent down to you,’ They say, ‘We are following what we found our fathers doing.’ What, even though their fathers did not understand a thing and were not guided! (Surat Al-Baqara, 170)

When he leaves you, he goes about the earth corrupting it, destroying crops and animals. Allah does not love corruption. (Surat Al-Baqara, 205)

When he is told to have fear of Allah, he is seized by pride which drives him to wrongdoing. Hell will be enough for him! What an evil resting-place! (Surat Al-Baqara, 206)

They will ask you about the Sacred Month and fighting in it. Say, ‘Fighting in it is a serious matter; but barring access to the Way of Allah and rejecting Him and barring access to the Masjid al-Unlawful and expelling its people from it are far more serious in the sight of Allah. Corruption is worse than killing.’ They will not stop fighting you until they make you revert from your religion, if they are able. As for any of you who revert from their deen and die as unbeliever, their actions will come to nothing in the world and the Hereafter. They are the Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. (Surat Al-Baqara, 217)

The religion with Allah is Islam. Those given the Book only differed after knowledge had come to them, envying one another. As for those who reject Allah’s Signs, Allah is swift at reckoning. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 19)

They will be plunged into abasement wherever they are found, unless they have a treaty with Allah and with the people. They have brought down anger from Allah upon themselves, and they have been plunged into destitution. That was because they rejected Allah’s Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so. That was because they disobeyed and went beyond the limits. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 112)

And so that He would know the hypocrites. They were told, ‘Come and fight in the Way of Allah or at least help defend us.’ They said, ‘If we knew how to fight, we would certainly follow you.’ They were closer to disbelief that day than to belief, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah knows best what they are hiding. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 167)

As for those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and overstep His limits, We will admit them into a Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. They will have a humiliating punishment. (Surat An-Nisa’, 14)

On that day those who were unbelievers and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were one with the level earth. They will not be able to hide a single circumstance from Allah. (Surat An-Nisa’, 42)

Some of the Jews distort the true meaning of words, saying,‘We hear and disobey,’ and ‘Listen without listening,’ and ‘Ra’ina!’ twisting them with their tongues, disparaging the religion. If they had said, ‘We hear and we obey,’ and ‘Listen,’ and, ‘Undhurna!’ that would have been better for them and more upright. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief. Very few of them have belief. (Surat An-Nisa’, 46)

When they are told, ‘Come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger,’ you see the munafiqun turning away from you completely. (Surat An-Nisa’, 61)

We sent no Messenger except to be obeyed by Allah’s permission. If only when they wronged themselves they had come to you and asked Allah’s forgiveness and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them they would have found Allah Ever-Returning, Most Merciful. (Surat An-Nisa’, 64)

No, by your Lord, they are not believers until they make you their judge in the disputes that break out between them, and then find no resistance within themselves to what you decide and submit themselves completely. (Surat An-Nisa’, 65)

If We had directed them to kill themselves or leave their homes, they would not have done so, except for a very few. But if they had done what they were urged to do, it would have been better for them and far more strengthening. (Surat An-Nisa’, 66)

They have the word, ‘Obedience!’ on their tongues but when they leave your presence, a group of them spend the night plotting to do other than what you say. Allah is recording their nocturnal plotting. So let them be and put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Guardian. (Surat An-Nisa’, 81)

But if anyone opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him, and follows other than the path of the believers, We will hand him over to whatever he has turned to, and We will roast him in Hell. What an evil destination! (Surat An-Nisa’, 115)

The People of the Book will ask you to bring down a Book from heaven to them. They asked Moses for even more than that. They said, ‘Let us see Allah with our own eyes.’ So the lightning-bolt struck them down for their wrongdoing. Then they adopted the Calf after the Clear Signs had come to them, but We pardoned them for that and gave Moses clear authority. (Surat An-Nisa’, 153)

We lifted up the Mount above their heads in accordance with the covenant they had made, and We said to them, ‘Enter the gate prostrating,’ and We said to them, ‘Do not break the Sabbath,’ and We made a binding covenant with them. (Surat An-Nisa’, 154)

But because of their breaking of their covenant, We have cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort the true meaning of words and have forgotten a good portion of what they were reminded of. You will never cease to come upon some act of treachery on their part, except for a few of them. Yet pardon them, and overlook. Allah loves good-doers. (Surat Al-Ma’ida, 13)

They said, ‘We will never enter it, Moses, as long as they are there. So you and your Lord go and fight. We will stay sitting here.’ (Surat Al-Ma’ida, 24)

He said, ‘My Lord, I have no control over anyone but myself and my brother, so make a clear distinction between us and this deviant people.’ (Surat Al-Ma’ida, 25)

We created you and then formed you and then We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ and they prostrated – except for Satan. He was not among those who prostrated. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 11)

He said, ‘What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you to?’ He replied, ‘I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 12)

He said, ‘Descend from Heaven. It is not for you to be arrogant in it. So get out! You are one of the abased.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 13)

He said, ‘Grant me a reprieve until the day they are raised up.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 14)

He said, ‘You are one of the reprieved.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 15)

He said, ‘By Your misguidance of me, I will lie in ambush for them on your straight path. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 16)

Then I will come at them, from infront of them and behind them, from their right and from their left. You will not find most of them thankful. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 17)

He said, ‘Get out of it, reviled and driven out. As for those of them who follow you, I will fill up Hell with every one of you.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 18)

So he enticed them to do it by means of trickery. Then when they tasted the tree, their private parts were disclosed to them and they started stitching together the leaves of the Garden in order to cover themselves. Their Lord called out to them,‘Did I not forbid you this tree and say to you, “Satan is an outright enemy to you”? (Surat Al-A‘raf, 22)

The ruling circle of those of his people who were arrogant said, ‘We will drive you out of our city, Shu‘ayb, you and those who have iman along with you, unless you return to our religion.’ He said, ‘What, even though we detest it? (Surat Al-A‘raf, 88)

The ruling circle of those of his people who were unbelievers said, ‘If you follow Shu‘ayb, you will definitely be lost.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 90)

So he turned away from them and said, ‘My people, I transmitted My Lord’s message to you and gave you good counsel. Why should I grieve for people of disbelief?’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 93)

We did not find many of them worthy of their contract. We found most of them deviators. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 102)

And then, after them, We sent Moses with Our Signs to Pharaoh and his ruling circle but they wrongfully rejected them. See the final fate of the corrupters! (Surat Al-A‘raf, 103)

They said, ‘We suffered harm before you came to us and after you came to us.’ He said, ‘It may well be that your Lord is going to destroy your enemy and make you the successors in the land so that He can see how you behave.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 129)

I will divert from My Signs all those who are arrogant in the earth without any right. If they see every Sign, they will not believe in it. If they see the way of right guidance, they will not take it as a way. But if they see the way of error, they will take that as a way. That is because they denied Our Signs and paid no attention to them. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 146)

We conveyed the tribe of Israel across the sea and they came upon some people who were devoting themselves to some idols which they had. They said, ‘Moses, give us a god just as these people have gods.’ He said, ‘You are indeed an ignorant people. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 138)

What these people are doing is destined for destruction. What they are doing is purposeless.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 139)

He said, ‘Should I seek something other than Allah as a god for you when He has favoured you over all other beings?’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 140)

After he left, Moses’s people adopted a calf made from their ornaments, a form which made a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could not speak to them or guide them to any way? They adopted it and so they were wrongdoers. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 148)

When Moses returned to his people in anger and great sorrow, he said, ‘What an evil thing you did in my absence after I left! Did you want to hasten your Lord’s command?’ He threw down the Tablets and seized hold of his brother’s head, dragging him towards him. Harun said, ‘Son of my mother, The people oppressed me and almost killed me. Do not give my enemies cause to gloat over me. Do not include me with the wrongdoing people.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 150)

Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel, commanding them to do right and forbidding them to do wrong, making good things lawful for them and bad things unlawful for them, relieving them of their heavy loads and the chains which were around them. Those who believe in him and honour him and help him, and follow the Light that has been sent down with him, they are the ones who are successful.’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 157)

Ask them about the town which was by the sea when they broke the Sabbath – when their fish came to them near the surface on their Sabbath day but did not come on the days which were not their Sabbath. In this way We put them to the test because they were deviators. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 163)

When they were insolent about what they had been forbidden to do, We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised, cast out!’ (Surat Al-A‘raf, 166)

Then your Lord announced that He would send against them until the Day of Rising people who would inflict an evil punishment on them. Your Lord is Swift in Retribution. And He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 167)

And We divided them into nations in the earth. Some of them are rightious and some are other than that. We tried them with good and evil so that hopefully they would return. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 168)

Those who are in the presence of your Lord do not consider themselves too great to worship Him. They glorify His praise and they prostrate to Him. (Surat Al-A‘raf, 206)

Just as your Lord brought you out from your house with truth, even though a group of the believers disliked it. (Surat Al-Anfal, 5)

Arguing with you about the Truth after it had been made clear as though they were being driven to their death with open eyes. (Surat Al-Anfal, 6)

And when your Lord revealed to the angels, ‘I am with you so make those who believe, firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who are unbelievers, so strike their necks and strike all their finger joints!’ (Surat Al-Anfal, 12)

This was because they were hostile to Allah and His Messenger. If anyone is hostile to Allah and His Messenger, Allah is severe in retribution. (Surat Al-Anfal, 13)

That is your reward, so taste it. The unbelievers will also have the punishment of the Fire. (Surat Al-Anfal, 14)

You who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger. And do not turn away from Him when you are able to hear. (Surat Al-Anfal, 20)

Do not be like those who say, ‘We hear,’ when they do not hear. (Surat Al-Anfal, 21)

The worst of beasts in Allah’s sight are the deaf and dumb who have no intellect. (Surat Al-Anfal, 22)

If Allah knew of any good in them, He would have made them able to hear. But even if He had made them able to hear, they would still have turned away. (Surat Al-Anfal, 23)

You who believe! respond to Allah and to the Messenger when He calls you to what will bring you to life! Know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart and that you will be gathered to Him. (Surat Al-Anfal, 24)

You who believe! do not betray Allah and His Messenger, and do not knowingly betray your trusts. (Surat Al-Anfal, 27)

Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat Al-Anfal, 46)

Say: ‘If your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or your tribe, or any wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear may slump, or any house which pleases you, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and struggle in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His command. Allah does not guide people who are deviators.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 24)

You who believe! What is the matter with you that when you are told, ‘Go out and fight in the way of Allah,’ you sink down heavily to the earth? Are you happier with the earth than the Hereafter? Yet the enjoyment of the earth is very small compared to that of the Hereafter. (Surat At-Tawba, 38)

If you do not go out to fight, He will punish you with a painful punishment and substitute another people in your place. You will not harm Him in any way. Allah has power over all things. (Surat At-Tawba, 39)

If it had been a case of easy gains and a short journey, they would have followed you, but the distance was too great for them. They will swear by Allah: ‘Had we been able to, we would have gone out with you.’ They are destroying their own selves. Allah knows that they are lying. (Surat At-Tawba, 42)

Nothing prevents what they give from being accepted from them but the fact that they have rejected Allah and His Messenger, and that they only come to perform prayer lethargically, and that they only give reluctantly. (Surat At-Tawba, 54)

If only they had been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger had given them and had said, ‘Allah is enough for us. Allah will give us of His bounty as will His Messenger. It is to Allah that we make our plea.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 59)

Among them are some who insult the Prophet, saying he is only an ear. Say, ‘An ear of good for you, believing in Allah and believing in the believers, and a mercy for those among you who believe.’ As for those who insult the Messenger of Allah, they will have a painful punishment. (Surat At-Tawba, 61)

They swear to you by Allah in order to please you, but it would be more fitting for them to please Allah and His Messenger if they are believers. (Surat At-Tawba, 62)

Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger, will have the Fire of Hell, remaining in it timelessly, for ever? That is the great disgrace. (Surat At-Tawba, 63)

If you ask them they will say, ‘We were only joking and playing around.’ Say: ‘Would you make a mockery of Allah and of His Signs and of His Messenger? (Surat At-Tawba, 65)

Do not try to excuse yourselves. You have become unbelievers after having belief. If one group of you is pardoned, another group will be punished for being evildoers.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 66)

The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish performing prayer and give alm, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat At-Tawba, 71)

O Prophet, struggle against the unbelievers and hypocrites and be harsh with them. Their shelter will be Hell. What an evil destination! (Surat At-Tawba, 73)

So He has punished them by putting hypocrisy in their hearts until the day they meet Him because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they lied. (Surat At-Tawba, 77)

You can ask forgiveness for them, or not ask forgiveness for them. Even if you asked forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah still would not forgive them. That is because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not guide deviant people. (Surat At-Tawba, 80)

Those who were left behind were glad to stay behind the Messenger of Allah. They did not want to struggle with their wealth and themselves in the Way of Allah. They said, ‘Do not go out to fight in the heat.’ Say: ‘The Fire of Hell is much hotter, if they only understood.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 81)

Let them laugh little and weep much, in repayment for what they have earned. (Surat At-Tawba, 82)

If Allah returns you to a group of them, and they ask you for permission to go out, say, ‘You will never go out with me, nor will you ever fight an enemy with me. You were happy to stay behind the first time, so stay behind with those who are left behind.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 83)

Never pray over any of them who die or stand at their graves. They rejected Allah and His Messenger and died as deviators. (Surat At-Tawba, 84)

There are only grounds against those who ask you for permission to stay when they are rich. They were pleased to be among those who were left behind. Allah has sealed up their hearts so they do not know. (Surat At-Tawba, 93)

They will make excuses to you when you return to them. Say: ‘Do not make excuses, we will not believe you. Allah has already informed us about you. Allah will see your actions, as will His Messenger. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, and He will inform you regarding what you did.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 94)

They will swear to you by Allah when you return to them, so that you leave them alone. Leave them alone, then! They are filth. Their shelter will be Hell as repayment for what they did. (Surat At-Tawba, 95)

As for those who have set up a mosque, causing harm and out of disbelief, to create division between the believers, and in readiness for those who previously made war on Allah and His Messenger, they will swear, ‘We only desired the best.’ But Allah bears witness that they are truly liars. (Surat At-Tawba, 107)

The buildings they have built will not cease to be a bone of contention in their hearts, until their hearts are cut to shreds. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat At-Tawba, 110)

Allah has turned towards the Prophet, and the Muhajirun and the Ansar, those who followed him at the ‘time of difficulty’, after the hearts of a group of them had almost deviated. Then He turned towards them – He is All-Gentle, Most Merciful to them – (Surat At-Tawba, 117)

But if they turn away, say, ‘Allah is enough for me. There is no god but Him. I have put my trust in Him. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.’ (Surat At-Tawba, 129)

No, the fact is that they have denied something which their knowledge does not embrace and the meaning of which has not yet reached them. In the same way those before them also denied the truth. See the final fate of the wrongdoers! (Surah Yunus, 39)

Among them there are some who believe in it and some who do not. Your Lord best knows the corrupters. (Surah Yunus, 40)

If they deny you, say, ‘I have my actions and you have your actions. You are not responsible for what I do and I am not responsible for what you do.’ (Surah Yunus, 41)

Among them there are some who listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear even though they cannot understand? (Surah Yunus, 42)

Among them there are some who look at you. But can you guide the blind, even though they cannot see? (Surah Yunus, 43)

No one believed in Moses except for a few of his peoples youth out of fear that Pharaoh, and the elders, would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 83)

The ruling circle of those of his people who were unbelievers said, ‘We do not see you as anything but a human being like ourselves. We do not see anyone following you but the lowest of us, unthinkingly. We do not see you as superior to us. On the contrary, we consider you to be liars. (Surah Hud, 27)

He said, ‘My people! What do you think? If I were to have clear evidence from my Lord and He had given me a mercy direct from Him, but you were blind to it, could we force it on you if you were unwilling? (Surah Hud, 28)

They said, ‘Noah, you have argued with us and argued much so bring us what you have promised us if you are telling the truth.’ (Surah Hud, 32)

It sailed with them through mountainous waves, and Noah called out to his son, who had kept himself apart, ‘My son! Come on board with us. Do not stay with the unbelievers!’ (Surah Hud, 42)

He said, ‘I will take refuge on a mountain; It will protect me from the flood.’ He said, ‘There is no protection from Allah’s command today except for those He has mercy on.’ The waves surged in between them and he was among the drowned. (Surah Hud, 43)

They said, ‘Hud, you have not brought us any clear sign. We will not forsake our gods for what you say. We do not believe you. (Surah Hud, 53)

That was ‘Ad. They denied the Signs of their Lord and disobeyed His Messengers and followed the command of every obdurate tyrant. (Surah Hud, 59)

They said, ‘Salih, we had great hopes in you before this happened. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? We have grave doubts about what you are calling us to.’ (Surah Hud, 62)

My people! Here is the she-camel of Allah as a Sign for you. So leave her alone to eat on Allah’s earth and do not inflict any harm on her or you will be overcome by an imminent punishment.’ (Surah Hud, 64)

But they hamstrung her, so he said, ‘Enjoy yourselves in your land for three more days. That is a promise which will not be belied.’ (Surah Hud, 65)

My people! Do not let your breach with me provoke you into doing wrong so that the same thing happens to you as happened to the people of Noah and the people of Hud and the people of Salih; and the people of Lut are not far distant from you. (Surah Hud, 89)

They said, ‘Shu‘ayb, We do not understand much of what you say and we see you are weak among us. Were it not for your clan, we would have stoned you. We do not hold you in high esteem!’ (Surah Hud, 91)

When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating a human being out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. (Surat Al-Hijr, 28)

When I have formed him and breathed My Soul into him, fall down in prostration in front of him!’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 29)

Then the angels prostrated all together, every one of them –(Surat Al-Hijr, 30)

Except Satan. He disdained to be one of the prostrators. –(Surat Al-Hijr, 31)

He said, ‘Satan, what is it that prevents you being among the prostrators?’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 32)

He said, ‘I will not prostrate to a human being whom You have created out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud.’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 33)

He said, ‘Get out from here, you are accursed. (Surat Al-Hijr, 34)

The curse will be on you till the Day of Reckoning.’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 35)

He said, ‘My Lord, grant me a reprieve until the Day they are raised again.’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 36)

He said, ‘You are among the reprieved. (Surat Al-Hijr, 37)

Until the Day whose time is known.’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 38)

He said, ‘My Lord, because You misled me, I will make things on the earth seem good to them and I will mislead them all, every one of them, (Surat Al-Hijr, 39)

He said, ‘These are my guests so do not put me to shame. (Surat Al-Hijr, 68)

Have fear of Allah and do not dishonour me.’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 69)

They said, ‘Did we not forbid you to play host to anyone at all?’ (Surat Al-Hijr, 70)

With the exception of the family of Lut, all of whom We will sav. (Surat Al-Hijr, 59)

When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam!’ they prostrated, except for Satan. He said ‘What! Am I to prostrate to one You have created out of clay?’ (Surat Al-Isra’, 61)

He said, ‘Do you see this creature you have honoured over me? If You reprieve me till the Day of Rising, I will be the master of his descendants except for a very few.’ (Surat Al-Isra’, 62)

When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam,’ they prostrated with the exception of Satan. He was one of the jinn and wantonly deviated from his Lord’s command. Do you take him and his offspring as protectors apart from Me when they are your enemy? How evil is the exchange the wrongdoers make! (Surat Al-Kahf, 50)

Father, do not worship Satan. Satan was disobedient to the All-Merciful. (Surah Maryam, 44)

He said, ‘We tried your people after you left and the Samaritan has misguided them.’ (Surah Ta Ha, 85)

Moses returned to his people in anger and great sorrow. He said, ‘My people, did not your Lord make you a handsome promise? Did the fulfilment of the contract seem too long to you or did you want to unleash your Lord’s anger upon yourselves, so you broke your promise to me?’ (Surah Ta Ha, 86)

They said, ‘We did not break our promise to you of our own volition. But we were weighed down with the heavy loads of the people’s jewelry and we threw them in, for that is what the Samaritan did.’ (Surah Ta Ha, 87)

Then he produced a calf for them, a physical form which made a lowing sound. So they said, ‘This is your god – and Moses’s god as well, but he forgot.’ (Surah Ta Ha, 88)

Could they not see that it did not reply to them and that it possessed no power to either harm or benefit them? ’ (Surah Ta Ha, 89)

Harun had earlier said to them, ‘My people! It is just a trial for you. Your Lord is the All-Merciful, so follow me and obey my command!’ (Surah Ta Ha, 90)

They said, ‘We will not stop devoting ourselves to it until Moses returns to us.’ (Surah Ta Ha, 91)

He said, ‘What prevented you following me, Harun, when you saw that they had gone astray? (Surah Ta Ha, 92)

Did you too, then, disobey my command?’ (Surah Ta Ha, 93)

He said, ‘Son of my mother! Do not seize me by the beard or by the hair. I was afraid that you would say, “You have caused division in the tribe of Israel and taken no notice to anything I said.”’ (Surah Ta Ha, 94)

He said, ‘What do you think you were doing, Samaritan?’ (Surah Ta Ha, 95)

He said, ‘I saw what they did not see. So I gathered up a handful from the Messenger’s footprints and threw it in. That is what my inner self urged me to do.’ (Surah Ta Ha, 96)

But Satan whispered to him, saying, ‘Adam, shall I show you the way to the Tree of Everlasting Life and to a kingdom which will never fade away?’ (Surah Ta Ha, 120)

So the two of them ate from it and their private parts were disclosed to them and they started stitching together the leaves of the Garden to cover themselves. Adam disobeyed his Lord and became misled. (Surah Ta Ha, 121)

You are nothing but a human being like ourselves, so produce a Sign if you are telling the truth.’ (Surat Ash-Shu‘ara’, 154)

He said, ‘Here is a she-camel. She has a time for drinking and you have a time for drinking – on specified days. (Surat Ash-Shu‘ara’, 155)

Do not do anything to harm her or the punishment of a terrible day will come down on you.’ (Surat Ash-Shu‘ara’, 156)

But they hamstrung her and woke up full of remorse, (Surat Ash-Shu‘ara’, 157)

If they disobey you, say, ‘I am free of what you do.’ (Surat Ash-Shu‘ara’, 216)

If they had been overrun from every side, and had then been asked to revert to disbelief, they would have done so and hesitated very little about it. (Surat Al-Ahzab, 14)

If the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts and the rumour-mongers in Madina do not desist, We will set you onto them. Then they will only be your neighbours there a very short time. (Surat Al-Ahzab, 60)

We have adorned the lowest heaven with the beauty of the planets. (Surat As-Saffat, 6)
And guarded it against every defiant satan. (Surat As-Saffat, 7)

Say: ‘I fear, were I to disobey my Lord,the punishment of a Terrible Day.’ (Surat Az-Zumar, 13)

Were it not that mankind might all become one community, We would have given those who reject the All-Merciful silver roofs to their houses and silver stairways to ascend. (Surat Az-Zukhruf, 33)

Those who are unbelievers and obstruct the Way of Allah and are entrenched in hostility towards the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to them, do not harm Allah in any way and He makes their actions come to nothing. (Surah Muhammad, 32)

Whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger – We have prepared a Blazing Fire for the unbelievers. (Surat Al-Fath, 13)

You who believe! do not put yourselves forward in front of Allah and of His Messenger; and have fear of Allah. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat Al-Hujurat, 1)

You who believe! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and do not be as loud when speaking to him as you are when speaking to one another, lest your actions should come to nothing without your realising it. (Surat Al-Hujurat, 2)

Know that the Messenger of Allah is among you. If he were to obey you in many things, you would suffer for it. However, Allah has given you love of iman and made it pleasing to your hearts, and has made kufr, deviance and disobedience hateful to you.People such as these are rightly guided. (Surat Al-Hujurat, 7)

Those who oppose Allah and His Messenger will be subdued and overcome as those before them were also subdued and overcome.We have sent down Clear Signs. The unbelievers will have a humiliating punishment. (Surat Al-Mujadala, 5)

Do you not see those who were forbidden to confer together secretly returning to the very thing they were forbidden to do, and conferring together secretly in wrongdoing and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you they greet you with words Allah has never used in greeting you, and say to themselves ‘Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?’Hell will be enough for them! They will roast in it. What an evil destination! (Surat Al-Mujadala, 8)

You who believe! when you confer together secretly,do not do so in wrongdoing and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger; rather confer together in goodness and fear of Allah. Have fear of Allah – Him to Whom you will be gathered. (Surat Al-Mujadala, 9)

Conferring in secret is from Satan, to cause grief to those who beieve; but it cannot harm them at all, unless by Allah’s permission. So let the believers put their trust in Allah. (Surat Al-Mujadala, 10)

Those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, such people will be among the most abased. (Surat Al-Mujadala, 20)

You will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having love for anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger,though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan. Allah has inscribed belief upon such people’s hearts and will reinforce them with a Soul from Him and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. Such people are the party of Allah. Truly it is the party of Allah who are successful. (Surat Al-Mujadala, 22)

That is because they were entrenched in hostility towards Allah and His Messenger.If anyone is hostile towards Allah, Allah is Severe in Retribution. (Surat Al-Hashr , 4)

Remember when Moses said to his people, ‘My people, why do you mistreat me when you know that I am the Messenger of Allah to you? ’So when they deviated, Allah made their hearts deviate. Allah does not guide people who are deviators. (Surat As-Saff, 5)

You who believe! Shall I direct you to a transaction which will save you from a painful punishment? (Surat As-Saff, 10)

They will say, ‘Yes indeed, a warner did come to us but we denied him and said, “Allah has sent nothing down. You are just greatly misguided.”’ (Surat Al-Mulk , 9)

They will say, ‘If only we had really listened and used our intellect, we would not have been Companions of the Blaze.’ (Surat Al-Mulk , 10)

Pharaoh and those before him and the Overturned Cities made a great mistake. (Surat Al-Haqqa, 9)

They disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord so He seized them in an ever-tightening grip. (Surat Al-Haqqa, 10)

Noah said, ‘My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children have only increased them in loss. (Surah Nuh, 21)

They have hatched a mighty plot. (Surah Nuh, 22)

Saying, “Do not abandon your gods. Do not abandon Wadd or Suwa‘ or Yaghuth or Ya‘uq or Nasr. (Surah Nuh, 23)

They have misguided many people. Do not increase the wrongdoers in anything but misguidance!’ (Surah Nuh, 24)

Then he showed him the Great Sign. (Surat An-Nazi‘at, 20)

But he denied it and disobeyed, (Surat An-Nazi‘at, 21)

And then he hastily backed away. (Surat An-Nazi‘at, 22)

But then he rallied and called out, (Surat An-Nazi‘at, 23)

Saying, ‘I am your Lord Most High!’ (Surat An-Nazi‘at, 24)

When Our Signs are recited to him, he says, ‘Just myths and legends of the previous peoples!’ (Surat Al-Mutaffifin, 13)

What is the matter with them that they do not believe. (Surat Al-Inshiqaq, 20)

And, when the Qur’an is recited to them, do not prostrate? (Surat Al-Inshiqaq, 21)

In fact those who are unbelievers say that it is lies. (Surat Al-Inshiqaq, 22)

And the Messenger of Allah had said to them, ‘This is the she-camel of Allah, so let her drink!’ (Surat Ash-Shams, 13)

But they denied him and they hamstrung her, so their Lord crushed them for their sin and flattened them. (Surat Ash-Shams, 14.....GOD BLESS U

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