Posts – Days 1-5
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The Qur'an is believed by Muslims to be a collection of the eternal commands from Allah to all his people for all time. The Qur'an doesn't contain historical narrative, ancient biography, or other genres which would demand context to interpret, although the context found in the hadiths often brings frightening clarity.
In order to obey some of the commands of the Qur'an, Muslims also need the hadiths. For example, the Qur'an tells Muslims to follow the example of prophet Muhammad, the excellent pattern of conduct, but the sayings and actions of Muhammad are not recorded in the Qur'an; they are recorded in the hadiths.
Inspired by the university students across the U.S. who have defended and celebrated Hamas' horrific actions recently, over the coming weeks I'm planning to post a dozen or so significant teachings from the sacred Islamic writings, including the Qur'an and the hadiths. Here's day #1:
Fight whoever doesn't believe the teachings of Islam. (Qur’an 9:29)When Muslims encounter those who defy Allah (other translations say "oppose Allah") they are to decapitate them and cut off their fingers. (Qur'an 8:12-13)
Fighting in physical battles/wars is absolutely central to Islam and has been from its inception. The Qur'an teaches that fighting wars and going to Paradise (to indulge in wine, fruits, and constant sex with perpetual virgins - Qur'an 78:31-34; 56:35-38; 56:22-24; 55:70-74; 55:54-56; 52:50; 44:51-54) is the purpose for which Allah bought the lives of his people (Qur'an 9:111). Prophet Muhammad fought in 86 battles in the last decade or so of his life. He taught that fighting is a means to salvation (Bukhari 2924), it's the best thing in the world (Bukhari 2796), and that any Muslim who doesn't love to fight is a hypocrite (Muslim 1910). He taught that dying in battle on Earth is even better than living in Paradise (Bukhari 2817). He said his ideal was to be martyred in battle, then come back to life, then be martyred in battle again, and then come back to life, as a perpetual fighter who is always dying in battle (Bukhari 2797). He also taught that whoever meets Allah without battle scars on his body will meet Allah with a deficiency (Sunan Ibn Majah 2763). This is why committed Muslims often say, "We love death like you (Jews and Christians) love life."
Today's passage: Fighting, killing, and dying in battle is the purpose for which Allah has purchased believers.
Day 4 – Islam on Deception
Another concept that is central to Islam and widespread throughout Islamic cultures is the doctrine of deception. This is known as Taqiyya for Shia Muslims and Muda’rat for Sunni Muslims. Deception was a characteristic of both Allah and of Muhammad, the excellent pattern of conduct. Because most English translations of the Qur’an were translated and published by Muslims, who are taught to be deceitful, the passages where Allah boasts of being the best of all deceivers (Arabic: makara) are usually translated as “best of planners” or “best of schemers.” These are found in Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; and 8:30, for example. However, Allah doesn’t just brag about his deception; He also demonstrates his deception in the Qur’an. Most notably, Qur’an 4:157-158 says the Jews didn’t actually kill or crucify Jesus, but rather it was made to appear so. Allah actually raised Jesus up directly to himself. Whenever I ask Muslims who made it appear as if Jesus was crucified and killed, they say it was Allah (which is implied in the text). This act in itself shows that Allah is the greatest deceiver of all. According to Islam, Allah made all the eyewitnesses—and everyone who came after them for 600 years and virtually everyone who has ever studied the historical documents—believe that Jesus was crucified and killed. He tricked them, only to send down the truth to Muhammad 600 years later…and for no apparent reason except to trick people.
Muhammad and his followers similarly practiced deception as a means to get closer to people in order to kill them. In fact, in one of the earliest accounts after Muhammad moved to Medina, his followers dressed up and shaved their heads to convince those around them that they were peaceful worshipers. When they gained the other worshipers’ trust, they killed, stole from, and kidnapped some of the worshipers. Deception in order to kill continued throughout Muhammad’s life.
Here are some more passages to consider.
Qur’an 7:178 says, “Whoever Allah guides, he is the rightly guided; and whoever he sends astray, it is those who are the losers.” Allah liked to call people losers quite often. But he also likes to lead people astray so they can’t discover the truth. Sound like anyone we read about in the Bible?
Qur’an 3:28 instructs Muslims not to be friends with those outside of Islam unless it’s for security purposes. The most trusted Islamic commentaries on this verse clarify that Muslims are to hate non-Muslims in their hearts, even as they pretend to be friends with them for their own safety.
Qur’an 9:3 affirms that Muslims are permitted to break their oaths with non-Muslims if it’s in their own best interests.
Qur’an 16:106 establishes that there are situations in which a Muslim is “forced” to lie about his faith.
Qur’an 40:28 allows people to hide their true beliefs from non-Muslims.
Qur’an 66:2 tells Muslims that Allah has ordained that they break their oaths when it’s in their own best interests to do so.
Sahih Bukhari 52:269 Muhammad had guaranteed safe passage to Usayr ibn Zarim and his unarmed companions, but Muhammad’s men murdered them. Muhammad then said, “War is deceit” to justify their deception and murder.
Sahih Bukhari 49:857 It’s okay to lie in order to make temporary peace.
Sahih Buhkari 84:64-65 Lying is permitted in order to deceive an enemy. An enemy is defined as “disbelievers” in 4:101.
Sahih Bukhari 50:369 Muhammad’s followers used deception and lies to gain the trust of a man named Ka’b bin al-Ashraf. The Muslims said they had turned against Muhammad and pretended to be friends with K’ab. Once they gained his trust, they brutally murdered him.
Day 5 – Islam’s Teachings on Women
Islam doesn’t have any teaching like the Jewish and Christian doctrine of the Imago Dei. People are not made in the image of God and so there is no basis for inherent human worth, dignity, or human rights. A person’s value is dependent on things like their religion, their gender, and their obedience to the law. So what does Islam say about women?
Women are lacking in intellect, morality, and common sense (Q 2:282; Bukhari 2658; Muslim 142).
Men are in charge of women because God made men superior to women (Q 4:34).
Most of the inhabitants of Hell are women, and the reason is because women are ungrateful to their husbands (Bukhari 1052; Muslim 142).
Men are encouraged to beat their wives if they fear disobedience from them (Q 4:34; Sahih Muslim 2127; Bukhari 5825). Notice that men are not only justified in beating their wives when their wives are actually disobedient, as awful and unacceptable as that would be, but rather Muslim men are to beat their wives if they even fear disobedience from them! In other words, all it takes to justify wife beating in Islam is an insecure man. In fact, Muhammad beat his favorite wife, his child-bridge Aisha, because she was curious what he was up to and she followed him outside one night (Sahih Muslim 2127). On another occasion, Aisha commented that no one suffered more than the Muslim women. When she encountered a lady with a green dress, a green veil, and bruises all over her body, Aisha said, “I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing (Muslim) woman. Look, her skin is greener than her clothes.” (Bukhari 5825)
Men are permitted to marry multiple women (Qur’an 4:3). When I was in Afghanistan, this was a source of tremendous vitriol and fear among women. The wives would try to poison one another out of jealousy, and they saw every younger woman as a potential new bride who would take the top spot in their husband’s heart.
Men are permitted to have sex with children. Muhammad, the excellent pattern of conduct for all Muslims, consummated his marriage with his child bride when she was 9 years old (Bukhari 3896; Bukhari 3894; Bukhari 5158; Sahih Muslim 3310 and 3311; Bukhari 6130).
Women are treated as sex objects in Islam. They are described as fields to be plowed and have seeds planted, so they can make as many children as possible for the man’s pride and for the spread of Islam. (Quran 2:223; Tafsir al-Jalalayn on Quran 2:223)
Islam allows temporary marriage, aka prostitution (Muslim 3243, 3246). In Islam, a man is not expected to practice self-control. When he’s traveling to conquer new lands and peoples for Allah, he is encouraged to pay a woman to “marry” him for an hour, a day, a week, etc. As long as this prostitution is done in the name of Allah, it’s all halal (permissible, lawful) under Islam.
Men are permitted and even encouraged to rape women they captured in war (Q 23:1-6; Q 4:24; see also Sahih Muslim 3442 and 3371). If you haven’t seen the story from last week, it was discovered that Hamas had so violently raped little girls, women, and grandmothers, that their pelvis bones were broken (https://www.dailywire.com/news/israeli-official-hamas-raped-women-grandmothers-children-so-violently-they-broke-victims-pelvis).
Islam is an absolutely horrific worldview for everyone, but especially for women.