Abualrub tries to briefly address (that article is now also defunct)
Jochen Katz’s paper regarding Allah forgetting the wives of believers
(*).
As has been his habit in all of his papers, Abualrub fails to provide his readers
with the link to article that he is responding to. Apparently he is trying to prevent
his readers from reading these discussions for themselves since they will be able
to see the shallowness of Abualrub’s responses.
He begins his "response" with more of his personal attacks on both Wail
Taghlibi and Mr. Katz, even though these attacks are more implicit at times like in
the following case:
9. What Wail Taghlibi wrote is consistent in demeanor with the articles that Katz
collected on his website, such as this absurd article, "Did Allah Forget the Wives?"
a. No, Katz, Allah did not forget the wives. Allah said in the Quran, in the fourth
Surah [Chapter] entitled ‘An-Nisaa’ [i.e. ‘Women’],
Verse number 124,
{And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true)believer [in the Oneness of Allâh (Muslim)], such will enter Paradise
and not the least injustice, even to the size of a Naqîra (speck on the back
of a date stone), will be done to them.}
RESPONSE:
How convenient. Instead of trying to refute Mr. Katz by proving his case from the
immediate context in surah 52, the chapter which Mr. Katz was actually referring,
Abualrub has to jump elsewhere to make his argument. This assumes that the Quran is
logically consistent and coherent, and that the different parts of the Quran are mutually
complementary as opposed to being contradictory. As we shall show here, that is not
the case at all.
Abualrub doesn’t realize that surah 4:124 backfires against him. It shows that if
surah 52:21 was indeed intended to also include the women then the author could have made
this rather explicit and unambiguous by simply mentioning them by name, much like he did
for surah 4:124. The author could have simply written surah 52:21 in the following manner
in order to avoid the confusion:
And they who believe, whether male or female, and whose seed follow them in
faith, We cause their seed to join them (there), and We deprive them of nought of their
(life's) work. Every man and woman is a pledge for that which he hath earned.
Besides, it is not as if Muhammad couldn’t have included an explicit reference
to believing women at this early stage in his ministry, since he did just that in the
following surah:
Those who persecute (or draw into temptation) the Believers, men and women,
and do not turn in repentance, will have the Penalty of Hell: They will have the Penalty
of the Burning Fire. For those who believe and do righteous deeds, will be Gardens;
beneath which rivers flow: That is the great Salvation, (the fulfilment of all desires),
S. 85:10-11 Y. Ali
Here is what the late Muslim scholar Abu Ala’ Maududi said about the dating of
this surah:
Period of Revelation
The subject matter itself indicates that this Surah was sent down at Makkah in the
period when persecution of the Muslims was at its climax and the disbelievers of Makkah
were trying their utmost by tyranny and coercion to turn away the new converts from Islam.
(Source)
In another passage the Quran mentions the command to enter paradise which will be
given to men and their wives:
'Enter Paradise, you and your wives, walking with joy!' S. 43:70
According to Maududi, this too is a Meccan surah
(*).
Seeing that Muhammad made reference to believing women and believers' wives
in the Meccan period he could have just as easily mentioned them in surah 52:21 as
well. The fact that he didn’t, even though he could have, greatly strengthens
the argument of Mr. Katz. We will shortly see why this is the case.
Here are Maududi’s comments regarding the approximate date of surah 52:
Period of Revelation
From the internal evidence of the subject matter it appears that this Surah too was
revealed in the same stage of the Holy Prophet's life at Makkah in which the Surah
Adh-Dhariyat was revealed. While going through it one can clearly feel that during the
period of its revelation the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was
being showered with objections and accusations but there is no evidence yet to show that
severe persecution of the Muslims had started.
(Source)
He also provides the date for surah 4:
Period of Revelation
This Surah comprises several discourses which were revealed on different occasions
during the period ranging probably between the end of A. H. 3 and the end of A. H. 4 or
the beginning of A. H. 5. Although it is difficult to determine the exact dates of their
revelations, yet it is possible to assign to them a fairly correct period with the help of
the Commandments and the events mentioned therein and the Traditions concerning them. A
few instances are given below by way of illustration:
We know that the instructions about the division of inheritance of the martyrs and for
the safeguard of the rights of the orphans were sent down after the Battle of Uhd in which
70 Muslims were killed. Then naturally the question of the division of the inheritance of
the martyrs and the safeguard of the rights of their orphans arose in many families at
Al-Madinah. From this we conclude that vv. 1 -28 were revealed on that occasion.
We learn from the Traditions that the Commandment about salat during war time was given
on the occasion of Zat-ur-Riqa'a, an expedition which took place in A. H. 4. From this we
conclude that the discourse containing v. 102 was revealed on that occasion.
The last warning (v. 47) to the Jews was given before the Banu Nadir were exiled from
Al-Madinah in Rabi'-ulAwwal, A. H. 4. From this it may safely be concluded that the
discourse containing v. 47 must have been revealed some time before that date.
The permission about tayammum (the performance of ablutions with pure dust, in
case no water be available) was given during the Bani-al-Mustaliq expedition, which took
place in A. H. 5. Therefore the probable period of the revelation of the discourse
containing v. 43 was A. H. 5.
( Source)
The Hijrah, or Muhammad’s flight to Medina, is dated approximately at 622/623 AD.
If we add the dates provided by Maududi, this means that surah 4 was "revealed"
anywhere between 625/626 to 626/627 AD., long after surah 52:21 was composed or recited.
It is apparent from the above dates that over the years Muhammad corrected some of the
earlier mistakes which he had made at the start of his prophetic career. One of his later
corrections was to make it a point to explicitly reference women in verses which speak of
heavenly rewards.
The above observation is even confirmed by Islamic sources which state that Muhammad
started to mention women in his verses after one of his wives had complained that the
Quran didn’t bother to make explicit reference of them. Lest Abualrub accuses us of
lying or slander, here is what Ibn Kathir says regarding Surah 33:35:
The Reason for Revelation
Imam Ahmad recorded that Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of the
Prophet said, "I said to the Prophet, ‘Why is it that we are not mentioned in
the Qur'an as men are.’ Then one day without my realizing it, he was calling from
the Minbar and I was combing my hair, so I tied my hair back then I went out to my chamber
in my house, and I started listening out, and he was saying from the Minbar: ...
<O people! Verily Allah says: (Verily, the Muslims: men and women,
the believers: men and women...)> to the end of the Ayah."
This was also recorded by An-Nasa'i and Ibn Jarir.
(Source; bold and underline emphasis)
Ibn Kathir also said regarding surah 3:195:
<So their Lord accepted of them>, answered their invocation.
Sa`id bin Mansur recorded that Salamah, a man from the family of Umm Salamah
said, "Umm Salamah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Allah does not mention
women in connection with Hijrah (Migration).’ Allah sent down the Ayah, ...
<So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them),
"Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.>
(Source)
Muslim writer Ahmad von Denffer noted:
Several Revelations and One Sabab
A well-known example for several revelations, which are connected with
one particular circumstance, are three verses which according to reliable reports,
came down in response to the question of Umm Salama, WHETHER OR WHY
ONLY THE MEN HAD BEEN REFERRED TO IN THE QUR'AN, as being rewarded.
According to Al-Hakim and Tirmidhi the verses 3:195, 4: 32 and 33:35 were
revealed in response to this question:
'And their Lord has accepted of them and answered them: Never will I
suffer to be lost the work of any of you be he male or female: Ye are members,
one of another: those who have left their homes, or have been driven out
therefrom, or suffered harm in My cause, or fought or been slain - verily
I will blot out from them their iniquities and admit them into gardens with
rivers flowing beneath; a reward from the presence of God and from His
presence is the best of rewards' 3: 195.
'And in no wise covet those things in which God has bestowed His gifts
more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted what they earn
and to women what they earn: but ask God of His bounty for God has full
knowledge of all things' 4: 32.
'For Muslim men and women - for believing men and women - for devout men
and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and
constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who
give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard
their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise - for
them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward' 33:35. [Salih, op cit., p. 148]
(Von Denffer, Ulum al Qur'an; online sources:
*,
*;
underline and capital emphasis ours)
Another renowned commentator, the late Mufti Shafi Uthmani, stated in reference
to Sura 2:228 that:
The second consideration, perhaps implied here as well, may be that
satr (concealment) is better even when there is a discussion about
masturat (women: the concealed ones). But, when women realized
that the noble Qur'an does not address them directly at various places like it
does address men, the venerated mother of the faithful, Umm Salmah pointed
this out to the Prophet and thereupon the following verse of Surah Al-Ahzab
was revealed.
Submitting men and submitting women, believing men and believing women,
obedient men and obedient women . (This appears in details in Nasa'i, Musnad
Ahmad, and Tafsir Ibn Jarir etc.)
where women were clearly and expressly identified along with men which
implies that the status of women is no less than men in obedience to Allah
and in His worship, in being near Him and His approval, and in the ranks of
Paradise.
According to a report in Tafsir Ibn Kathir, some Muslim women came to the
blessed wives of the Holy Prophet and asked about the general absence of any
mention of Muslim women in the Holy Qur'an, while it does mention men at
several places, and also refers to the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet from
among women. Thereupon, the verse referred to above was revealed.
(Mufti Shafi Uthmani, Maariful Quran, Volume 1, pp. 569-570;
source)
The above information is quite damaging to Abualrub’s defense and may be the
reason why he conveniently overlooked the great time factor between the composition
of these two specific surahs. He apparently knew that the time factor demonstrates
that Muhammad started to explicitly mention the eternal rewards which await believing
women later in his career as a result of a woman bringing this to his attention,
thereby correcting his blunder.
This leads us to our final point. The Quran claims that it was being given piecemeal
over a period of time, showing that not all of its teachings were composed at once:
And it is a Quran which We have revealed in portions so that you may read it
to the people by slow degrees, and We have revealed it, revealing in portions.
S. 17:106 Shakir
And those who disbelieve say: Why has not the Quran been revealed to him
all at once? Thus, that We may strengthen your heart by it and We have arranged
it well in arranging. S. 25:32 Shakir
The implication of these texts is that Muslims weren't given all the details,
all the specific information, regarding key, essential doctrines at once. They were
only given bits and pieces of important data here and there. Basically, what this
means is that there may have been a time where the details found in surah 52
stood alone without mentioning the fate of female believers. For Abualrub to
therefore cite a different text which refers to women believers entering Paradise
fails to refute Mr. Katz’s point, since he conveniently ignores the fact that such
details only became known later on in Muhammad's career, just as the foregoing
data which we presented showed.
b. As usual, Katz, who does not speak Arabic, relies on English transliterations of the
Arabic Quran to make a decision on what the Quran truly means. About Quranic Verse 52:21,
Katz is lost between Pickthall’s transliteration of its meaning: {And they who
believe and whose seed follow them in faith, We cause their seed to join them
(there), and We deprive them of nought of their(life's) work. Every
man is a pledge for that which he hath earned}; Yusuf Ali’s transliteration:
{And those who believe and whose families follow them in Faith, - to them shall We
join their families: Nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of
their works:(Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds}; and
Shakir’s transliteration: {And (as for) those who believe and
their offspring follow them in faith, We will unite with them their offspring and We will
not diminish to them aught of their work; every man is responsible for what he shall have
wrought.}
c. Whoever wrote the article Katz posted on his website then asked this question:
"Why, then, would Yusuf Ali render the word as "families"? Is this only a
minor inaccuracy? Unintentional carelessness? Or is he again trying to cover up a serious
problem by his mistranslation?"
RESPONSE:
Abualrub’s comments are simply more ad hominem, a typical feature of his writings.
If knowing Arabic is a prerequisite for
understanding the Quran, then does this mean that Abualrub is proficient in both Biblical
Hebrew and New Testament Greek since he has no hesitation to comment
on the alleged problems of the Bible?
Several times Abualrub refers to the above English versions of the Quran as
transliterations. It is obvious that Abualrub doesn’t know what a transliteration
really is. A transliteration transfers the sounds (phonetics) of a word or text in
one language into the corresponding characters of another language or alphabet. Here
is an example of how surah 52:21 may look when it is transliterated:
Waallatheena amanoo waittabaAAat-hum thurriyyatuhum bi-eemanin alhaqna bihim
thurriyyatahum wama alatnahum min AAamalihim min shay-in kullu imri-in bima kasaba
raheenun
Abualrub has confused translation with transliteration, thinking that they have
one and same meaning.
Regarding Mr. Katz’s complaint of Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s mistranslation of
the Arabic text, he is on good grounds here since the text says nothing about families,
just as the following ‘transliterations’ prove:
And those who believed, and their seed followed them in belief, Arberry
We shall unite the true believers with those of their descendants who follow them in
their faith, N.J. Dawood
And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith, Hilali-Khan
And those who believe and whose children follow them in faith - Sher Ali
And those who believe and whose progeny follow them in Faith- Daryabadi
And as for those who have attained to faith and whose offspring will have followed them
in faith, Muhammad Asad
We shall unite with those who believe such of their children who follow them in Faith
Amatul Rahman & ‘Abdul Mannan ‘Omar
And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith- Saheeh
International
For those who believed, and their children also followed them in belief, Khalifa
The offspring of the believers will also follow them to Paradise. Sarwar
And to those who have believed,
whose offspring have followed them in the faith, Rodwell
And those who believe and whose seed follows them in the faith, Palmer
And unto those who believe, and whose off-spring follow them in the faith, Sale
All the above translators apparently didn’t know Arabic that well since, unlike
Yusuf Ali, they didn’t realize that offspring actually means families.
The foregoing translations make it quite obvious that Yusuf Ali realized the error and
serious ramifications this citation had on the Quran’s view of earthly wives. Ali
knew he had to correct the Quran in order to hide its serious defects at this point.
d. However, this is what Allah said [52:21],
{Wa-l-Ladheena Amanu(And those who believe)
Wat-Taba`at-hum Dhurriyyatuhum bi-Emaanin (and whose offspring
follow them in Faith) Al`haqna Bihim Dhurriyyatahum (to
them shall We join their offspring) wa-ma
Alatnahum min `Amalihim min Shai (and We shall not decrease the reward of their
deeds in anything). Kullu Imri-in bima Kasaba Rahin (Every person
is a pledge for that which he [or she] has earned).}
e. Definitions: ‘Dhurriyyah’, pertains to, ‘offspring’. By
definition, at least in Arab tradition, one’s offspring is a part of one’s
family, even if ignorant fools protest this definition. ‘Imri-in’, means,
‘individual, or person’, whether male or female. The Verse under discussion
starts with, ‘Al-Ladheena’, i.e., ‘those’, i.e., 'parents', i.e. it
does not only refer to husbands, i.e. it includes the wives.
RESPONSE:
Abualrub wants to pull a fast one on his readers, using several tricks. First, nobody
here protested the fact that the offspring is part of the family. However, the offspring of
a man is not ALL OF his family. The offspring belongs to the family, and the wife belongs
to the family, but the point is that the wife is not a member of the offspring —
unless Abualrub is advocating incestuous relationships where a man marries his own daughter.
(Interestingly, certain Muslim scholars actually permit incest in
certain circumstances.) Had the Quran talked about the family, then the wife would
have been included, but it talks explicitly only about the offspring and that means the wife
was NOT included in the statement. Family is a mistranslation of ‘Dhurriyyah’
which refers to offspring only.
Second, none of the Arabic words that Abualrub defined for us in the above conclusively
prove that the text is referring to women. For instance, Abualrub presumably thinks that
since thurriyyah (Dhurriyyah) refers to the offspring of a family, then this
implies that the passage is referring to both parents. If this is in fact what Abularub is
suggesting then his defense is very weak at this point. The Quran in several places uses
the word thurriyyah in connection to a man’s offspring with no reference to
the woman or mother of the offspring:
And (remember) when his Lord tried Abraham with (His) commands, and he fulfilled them,
He said: Lo! I have appointed thee a leader for mankind. (Abraham) said: And of my
offspring (will there be leaders)? He said: My covenant includeth not
wrong-doers… And remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of
the house, praying, `Our Lord, accept this from us; for thou art the All-Hearing, the
All-Knowing; Our Lord, make us both submissive to THEE and make of our offspring a
people submissive to THEE. And show us our ways of worship and turn to us with mercy; for
thou art Oft-Returning with compassion, and art Merciful. S. 2:124, 127-128
Then and there did Zachariah pray to his Lord, saying, `My Lord grant me from Thyself
pure offspring; surely thou art the Hearer of Prayer.' S. 3:38 Sher Ali
And Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias. Each one (of them) was of the righteous.
And Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot. Each one (of them) did We prefer above (Our)
creatures, With some of their forefathers and their offspring and their brethren;
and We chose them and guided them unto a straight path. S. 6:85-87 Pickthall
Here also are several verses where allatheena (Al-Ladheena) clearly does not
include women:
O you who believe! it is not lawful for you THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE WOMEN AS
HERITAGE AGAINST (their) WILL, and do not straighten them in order that you may take part
of what you have given them, unless they are guilty of manifest indecency, and treat them
kindly; then if you hate them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah has placed
abundant good in it. S. 4:19 Shakir
This obviously refers to male believers inheriting women against their will.
O you who believe! do not go near prayer when you are Intoxicated until you know
(well) what you say, nor when you are under an obligation to perform a bath -- unless (you
are) travelling on the road -- until you have washed yourselves; and if you are sick, or
on a journey, or one of you come from the privy or you have touched the women, and
you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth, then wipe your faces and your
hands; surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. S. 4:43 Shakir
O you who believe! when you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and your hands as
far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you are under
an obligation to perform a total ablution, then wash (yourselves) and if you are sick or
on a journey, or one of you come from the privy, or you have touched the women, and
you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth and wipe your faces and your hands
therewith, Allah does not desire to put on you any difficulty, but He wishes to purify you
and that He may complete His favor on you, so that you may be grateful. S. 5:6 Shakir
O you who believe!when you marry the believing women, then divorce
them before you touch them, you have in their case no term which you should reckon; so
make some provision for them and send them forth a goodly sending forth. S. 33:49 Shakir
O you who believe!when believing women come to you flying, then examine
them; Allah knows best their faith; then if you find them to be believing women, do not
send them back to the unbelievers, neither are these (women) lawful for them, nor are
those (men) lawful for them, and give them what they have spent; and no blame attaches
to YOU IN MARRYING THEM when you give them their dowries; and hold not to the ties of
marriage of unbelieving women, and ask for what you have spent, and let them ask for what
they have spent. That is Allah's judgment; He judges between you, and Allah is Knowing,
Wise. S. 60:10 Shakir
O you who believe!surely from among your wives and your children there
is an enemy to you; therefore beware of them; and if you pardon and forbear and forgive,
then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. S. 64:14 Shakir
The references to women and wives show that these verses are obviously addressed to men.
O you who believe!when you go to war in Allah's way, make
investigation, and do not say to any one who offers you peace: You are not a believer. Do
you seek goods of this world's life! But with Allah there are abundant gains; you too were
such before, then Allah conferred a benefit on you; therefore make investigation; surely
Allah is aware of what you do. S. 4:94
O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war,
then turn not your backs to them. S. 8:15 Shakir
O you who believe!fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and
let them find in you hardness; and know that Allah is with those who guard (against evil).
S. 9:123 Shakir
In Islam it is the man who goes to war and fights, not women.
And the following citation is a place where imri-in is used in reference to men only,
not women:
On the day when a man fleeth from his brother And his mother and his father And HIS
WIFE and his children, Every man that day will have concern enough to make him
heedless (of others). S. 80:34-37 Pickthall
The word for "his wife" (sahibatihi) is used in another context where
the man again is the referent:
no loyal friend shall question loyal friend, as they are given sight of them. The
sinner will wish that he might ransom himself from the chastisement of that day even by
his sons, HIS COMPANION WIFE, his brother, his kin who sheltered him, and whosoever is in
the earth, all together, so that then it might deliver him. S. 70:10-14 Arberry
Thus, none of these Arabic words establish Abualrub’s claim that women are
included in the promise of surah 52:21. This is truly ironic since Abualrub mocks Mr. Katz
for not knowing Arabic, which implies that he, Abualrub, obviously does know the language.
Since Abualrub is clearly presenting himself as an Arabic expert then he surely must have
known about the way these words are used and that they do not necessarily imply that women
are also included. This means that he is being dishonest and withholding information from
his readers. Unless, of course, he wasn’t aware that these words could be used without
reference to women, which means that he is not the expert he makes himself out to be.
f. This Verse indicates that believing couples, believing fathers and believing mothers
[if the mother or the father –respectively- was not a believer] will have their
believing offspring join them in Paradise: those in lower grades will be elevated to the
higher grades of their relatives, not the vise versa, as a mercy from Allah.
RESPONSE:
Abualrub’s claim completely ignored Mr. Katz’s point, i.e. his argument from
the context, and fails to realize that this response causes some serious and embarrassing
problems for him. Mr. Katz had noted:
The believers are promised that they will get houris in Paradise (v. 20), i.e. not
their earthly wives, but beautiful women especially created to be available as sex
partners to the faithful. And they are promised that they will see their children again
(provided if they also believed in Muhammad).
The believers (i.e. the men) will be given perfect, beautiful, sensuous houris. Why
should they care about those old, nagging, and comparatively ugly wives that were so
difficult to live with on earth?
As noted by Mr. Katz, the immediate context refers to believers being married to houris
for pleasure:
Surely the godfearing shall be in gardens and bliss, rejoicing in that their
Lord has given them; and their Lord shall guard them against the chastisement of Hell. Eat
and drink, with wholesome appetite, for that you were working. Reclining upon couches
ranged in rows; and We shall espouse them to wide-eyed houris. And those
who believed, and their seed followed them in belief, We shall join their seed with
them, and We shall not defraud them of aught of their work; every man shall be pledged
for what he earned. S. 52:17-21
This is not the only time where such a promise is made:
Surely for the godfearing awaits a place of security, gardens and vineyards
and maidens WITH SWELLING BREASTS, like of age, and a cup overflowing.
Therein they shall hear no idle talk, no cry of lies, for a recompense from thy Lord,
a gift, a reckoning, S. 78:31-36 Arberry
Surely the godfearing shall be in a station secure among gardens and fountains,
robed in silk and brocade, set face to face. Even so; and We shall ESPOUSE
them to wide-eyed houris, therein calling for every fruit, secure. They shall not
taste therein of death, save the first death, And He shall guard them against the
chastisement of Hell – a bounty from thy Lord; that is the mighty triumph. S.
44:52-57 Arberry
But for him who fears the station of his Lord are gardens twain! Then which of your Lord's
bounties will ye twain deny? Both furnished with branching trees. Then which of your
Lord's bounties will ye twain deny? In each are flowing springs. Then which of your Lord's
bounties will ye twain deny? In each are, of every fruit, two kinds. Then which of your
Lord's bounties will ye twain deny? Reclining on beds the linings of which are of brocade,
and the fruit of the two gardens within reach to cull. Then which of your Lord's bounties
will ye twain deny? Therein are maids of modest glances whom no man nor ginn has
DEFLOWERED before. Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny? As
though they were rubies and pearls. Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
Is the reward of goodness aught but goodness? Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye
twain deny? And besides these, are gardens twain, Then which of your Lord's bounties will
ye twain deny? With dark green foliage. Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain
deny? In each two gushing springs. Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny?
In each fruit and palms and pomegranates. Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain
deny? In them maidens best and fairest! Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain
deny? Bright and large-eyed maids kept in their tents. Then which of your Lord's bounties
will ye twain deny? Whom no man nor ginn has deflowered before them. Then which of your
Lord's bounties will ye twain deny? Reclining on green cushions and beautiful carpets.
Then which of your Lord's bounties will ye twain deny? Blessed be the name of thy Lord
possessed of majesty and honour! S. 55:46-78 Palmer
Here is what Ibn Kathir says about S. 55:56:
<Qasirat At-Tarf>chaste females, wives restraining their glances,
desiring none except their husbands, seeing them as the most beautiful men in
Paradise. This was said by Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, `Ata' Al-Khurasani and Ibn Zayd. It was
reported that one of these wives will say to her husband, "By Allah! I neither
see anything in Paradise more handsome than you nor more beloved to me than you. So praise
be to Allah Who made you for me and made me for you.'' Allah said, …
<whom never deflowered a human before nor Jinn>
meaning they are delightful virgins of comparable age who never had sexual
intercourse with anyone, whether from mankind or Jinns, before their husbands.
This is also a proof that the believers among the Jinns will enter Paradise. Artat bin
Al-Mundhir said, "Damrah bin Habib was asked if the Jinns will enter Paradise and he
said, `Yes, and they will get married. The Jinns will have Jinn WOMEN and the humans
will have FEMALE humans.''' Allah's statement,…
<whom never deflowered a human before nor Jinn. Then which of the blessings of your
Lord will you both deny>
Then Allah describes these women for the proposed:…
<they are like Yaqut and Marjan.>
Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Ibn Zayd and others said, "They are as pure as rubies and white as
Marjan.'' So here they described Marjan as pearls. Imam Muslim recorded that Muhammad bin
Sirin said, "Some people either boasted or just wondered who are more in Paradise,
men or women. Abu Hurayrah said, `Has not Abu Al-Qasim (Muhammad) said,…
<Verily, the first group that will enter Paradise will look like the moon when it is
full, and the next batch will be as radiant as the radiant star in the sky. Each one of
them will marry two wives. The marrow of the bones of their shins will be seen through the
flesh. None will be unmarried in Paradise.>
This Hadith was recorded in the Two Sahihs. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said that the
Messenger of Allah said,…
<A morning or an evening journey in Allah's cause is better than the world and
whatever is on its surface. And a place in Paradise as small as that occupied by the whip
of one of you, is better than the world and whatever is on its surface. If one of the
women of the people of Paradise looks directly at the earth, she will fill what is between
Paradise and earth with a good scent and all of it will become delightful. Verily, the
veil over her head is better than this life and all that is on its surface.>
Al-Bukhari also collected a similar narration.
(online edition;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
If Abualrub’s exegesis is therefore sound then this implies that the promise to
the godfearing that they will be wedded to maidens also includes believing women, meaning
that Allah will permit acts of lesbianism in paradise! Notice what happens when we take
Abualrub’s point to its logical conclusion:
The godfearing will marry wide-eyed maidens.
The godfearing also include believing women.
Therefore, believing women will marry wide-eyed maidens.
We will leave it to Abualrub to dig himself out of the hole that his exegesis
has left him in.
Abualrub concludes:
g. Conclusion: AnsweringIslam posts articles that are full of lies where Katz
and Cohorts, most of whom do not speak Arabic, understand Islam as they wish, then insist
that Islam calls to their invention and ridicule Muslims who reject their ideas.
In light of Abualrub’s gross errors, distortions and misrepresentations, it is
obvious that we are not the ones posting articles that are full of lies. The sad thing is
that Abualrub’s religion allows him to lie and slander people without his Allah being
displeased by it. Our faith, on the other hand, does not allow us to lie or slander, even if
this means that by speaking the truth we may be placing ourselves in a difficult situation.
After all, we serve a God of truth, a God who is truth, and who is not pleased or honored
when his servants lie when they are representing him or use deception when presenting
his inspired truths:
"The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You
destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful
man." Psalm 5:5-6
"Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God
of truth." Psalm 31:5
"Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and THE TRUTH,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’" John 14:6
"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no
longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their
understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them,
due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to
sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you
learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him,
as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former
manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit
of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true
righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of
you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
Ephesians 4:17-25
The Quran teaches that Jesus is the Word and Spirit of Allah who was sent down into Mary in order to become a flesh and blood human being:
In light of this affirmation, it comes as no surprise to find Shia traditions describing Jesus with these titles. I cite a
41 The Book of Poetry
(2) Chapter: The Prohibition Of Playing Nardashir
According to the sunnah of Muhammad and the opinion of his followers, playing chess or badgammon is a sin which is condemned:
Buraida reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle said:
He who
