Prince of Lesser Darkness

Satan's Coffee

Sura 38 begins with the denial of Muhammad and his message by the Arabic pagans of Muhammad's day.  It continues speaking of God's judgment on them for their refusal to believe... which is a pretty common theme in the Quran.  What I find most interesting in the Sura is the discussion of Satan from verses 71 through 85.

The story goes like this:

God made humanity to rule the earth and required that all the angels of heaven bow to Man to recognize his rule over the angels.  All the angels obeyed except for Iblis (Satan) who claimed that his nature was superior to humanity, as created from fire instead of clay.  God then rebuked Satan, and proclaimed his ultimate judgment, but God would withhold such judgment until a later time.  Iblis then responded, "Give me some time to prove the inadequate nature of humanity.  I will prove them to be weak and unworthy of ruling Your creation."  God agreed that Iblis had the right to prove his case.  He said, "Hell is fitting for your, for your disobedience.  But all those humans who follow you and your ways I will put them in hell as well."

This isn't the story of Satan told by the Bible, but it fits.

Book of Job

The Bible's story of Satan shows that Satan was humanity's enemy from the beginning, being the trigger for Adam and Eve's downfall.  Satan is "the god of this world" and most of humanity follows Satan through pagan ritual.  But Satan can approach God, condemning and accusing certain humans, especially those who are pleasing to God.  Satan tempts them and tries to get them to fall away from God, causing God to be forced to judge those who are pleasing to Him.





Christian theology of Satan is pretty different from the Quran, but it is different from the Bible as well.

Christian theology claims that Satan was the greatest of angels, but he rebelled against God, taking up arms against Him.  God defeated Satan with his hosts, but Satan and half of his angels fell from heaven and were declared unworthy of God.  This was supposed to happen at the beginning of the world, before humanity was created.  But if this is the case, then how is Satan in the garden and in the presence of God after humanity is created?

The problem comes in the interpretation of Revelation 12, which describes the war between Michael and Satan.  A close reading of that passage in the context of Revelation indicates that it takes place after the ascension of Jesus.  This really changes how one sees Satan working in the world.

Some say that Satan is an extension of Zoroastrianism, where there are two equal beings at war with each other.  However, a careful read of the Bible shows that the theology of Satan comes from pagan sources, where Satan is the equivalent of Zeus, Baal and Marduk, who declares himself ruler after fighting against his father, El, the creator of earth and humanity.  "Satan" is not a name, but a title which means "accuser".  "Devil" is also not a name, but is an insult "the devil".  "Beelzebub" is also an insult, "lord of the flies" which comes from a specific name for Baal, the Canaanite high god.

The theology of Satan is not a theological necessity to  place blame for evil on someone else.  Rather, it is to put pagan theology in its place.  To say that there is only one Most High God and that is the Creator.  You might call Zeus and Baal god, but they are nothing compared to Yahweh, the Lord of all the universe, including your so called gods.

Quranology

In Christian theology, the theology of the Bible is called bibliology.  Some call the theology and study of the Quran, the Islamic holy book, quranology.

In orthodox Islam, the Quran is an eternal book, written from the foundation of the world, and then revealed, word-for-word to prophets.  It has never changed and is an eternal word for the ages.

However, if you read the Quran, it seems clear that it isn't an "eternal book" at all.  Rather, it was given to a particular people in a particular place and to read the Quran isn't to read an eternal volume for every time and place, written before the foundation of the earth.  This doesn't mean the Quran doesn't have eternal principles that one could glean from it.  But it is not for everyone.

Let's take Sura 54 as an example.

1. Arabic
Orthodox Quran students declare that the Quran isn't properly understood outside of it's original language, Arabic.  I think that there is a strong case to be made for that, as the poetry and tone of the book cannot be grasped in any other language than the original.  However, this also points to its cultural and linguistic limitations.  Arabic was, for a time, used as a kind of lingua franca amidst the Middle East and North Africa for a historic period of time, but it was never a majority language, even in the Muslim world's most extended empire.  And can it really be said that Arabic is the language before the foundation of the world?  There was a form of Arabic before Muhammad and a form of Arabic after, and the Quran is written in one form of Arabic.  But can we really expect Moses, Jesus and David to have spoken Arabic, or spoken to the people in a language they could not have known?

Sura 54 begins with a discussion about the splitting of the moon

2. Stories
The Quran makes reference to many stories also found in the many books that make up the Bible.  Sura 54 mentions Pharoah of Moses' time, Noah, and Sodom's destruction.  But it also makes mention of stories that only the people of Muhammad and those after him would know, like the 'Ad people.  Would Noah or Moses have spoken of events that would not have occurred yet?  Would Jesus have spoken a reference to an event that is not known among his people?  Or worse, would they have spoken of prophets that did not yet exist-- would Noah have spoken of Moses?

This is not a problem with the Quran, but with the theology that has developed about the Quran.  And I must admit that there are such problems about theologies that have developed around the Torah and the Bible.  Some insist on the Bible's truth to such a degree that they deny truth that has been proven without question, even if the Bible isn't explicit about the subject.  Some speak of the Torah as being eternal, denying it's proper place in the history of humanity.

"I speak for myself!"

As in almost all literature, we need to allow books to speak for themselves.  A clear, lightly critical read of a book, any book, whether holy or mundane, will often give us an idea of what the book claims for itself.  The Bible is clearly not a single volume, but a collection of many books, many of them not written by a single individual, but a collected volume of many documents.  The Torah-- whether of Moses or Rabbis-- are collections of ancient wisdom, some of which is contradictory.  And the Quran is a collection of beautiful religious poetry written by and for Arabs of the seventh century AD.

That is not denying any of the eternal truths found in any of these books.  To say that Surah 54 was written for a particular people in a particular place does not deny the eternal truth of coming judgment.  All I am saying is that we "people of the book" need to take care that we do not put our holy volumes, written, compiled and transcribed by limited humans, above God who truly is eternal and unchanging.

Ultimate Justice

Sura 86, The Morning Star, describes the day of judgment:

The Day that (all) things secret will be tested,

(Man) will have no power, and no helper.

By the Firmament which returns (in its round),

And by the Earth which opens out (for the gushing of springs or the sprouting of vegetation),-

Behold this is the Word that distinguishes (Good from Evil):

It is not a thing for amusement.

As for them, they are but plotting a scheme,

And I am planning a scheme.

Therefore grant a delay to the Unbelievers: Give respite to them gently (for awhile).

Every secret will be revealed, it says, everything that everyone has wanted to be kept hidden.  All that is done, good or evil, will be revealed, and shown for what it really is.  The Good will be declared good and the Evil will be declared evil, without excuse.  This is something, the Quran says, to be feared, not taken lightly, for true life and true comfort and true punishment occurs after the day of judgment.

The skeptic scoffs at this.  "What proof do you have for a day of judgment?  And can't people accomplish the good without judgment?  There is no need for such a thing."

In every system of human thought, however you read it, there must be a form of ultimate justice.  In Hindu thought, this is accomplished through karma, the law of the universe in which every living individual is given what they objectively deserve in the next life what they accomplished in this one.  Most justice systems see themselves as the final right in objectivity and giving criminals what they deserve.  We need this in order to function well.  We need to know that justice will be done-- in this life or the next-- or else we will live in despair every time an injustice is done.  If injustice isn't righted, either now or later, then what use is any action?

Humans must believe that justice will happen.  Modern secularists see justice done through democracies.  In the natural rhythm of democratic societies, justice comes about.

Really?  Is that really true?  Tell that to the African slave, kidnapped and sold to "democratic" societies.  Sure, perhaps a limited sort of justice was accomplished over centuries, but only after the deaths of millions.  And millions of  those who suffered in slavery didn't see justice, ever.  Where is their justice?

What about the millions of natives in many lands, killed, enslaved or abused, stolen from and moved from their lands?  Are they, even now, getting justice?  Will they ever get justice?   

What about the victims of genocide in democratic lands (remember that the Nazi party was democratically elected).   Perhaps we say that we have gotten past such evils and are now able to accomplish justice better than ever.  Tell that to the homeless, who are told by cities that they are criminals because they don't have homes, and then the churches who want to help them are told that they can't because they don't have a sprinkler system. 

I am sorry.  No matter how you look at it, no matter what humanity accomplishes, justice isn't to be found on earth.  Not in our lives.  This doesn't mean we don't work toward it.  It doesn't mean we give up  on justice.  But please don't tell me that we can accomplish this.  Our prejudices and ignorance is just too deep.

If we recognize this, we are on the edge of despair.  

And so is the woman forced to watch her children starve because she lives in Southern Sudan or Uganda.  So is the man falsely accused of raping a child and is sent to prison for the rest of his life.  So is the child who is abused but no one knows, and no one will know. 

God gives us an answer.  He tells us that, yes, there is injustice now.  It is evil and, try as we might, it will continue.  Children will continue to go hungry, the innocent will continue to be falsely accused, the good will continue to be hurt and those who harm others will continue to live satisfied, even successful lives.  

But this will not continue forever.  God will finally get fed up with the injustice and stop it.  And every single person-- good and evil-- will stand before their Judge and receive a verdict.  God is just and merciful.  He sees all and will take into account all extenuating circumstances. But all who have had to live with injustice will be justified.  Those who hunger and thirst for justice will be satisfied, even as the unjust who are satisfied now will be punished.

Perhaps you just can't accept this, you don't believe it.  That's fine.  Deal with despair your own way.  But two things:

-Don't deny us our comfort given to us from God.  Our anger is only pacified by a God who accomplishes justice patiently and mercifully.

-Don't use your disbelief as an opportunity to harm others.  Look at all you do, and see how what you do effects others.  If you live a life of harm, of hurting those who needed mercy, then you WILL get your day of justice.  You will.  If you think harming others is just something you must do to live your life, then live in fear, great fear.  For the tables will be turned.

Intellectualism, Religion and Happiness

(Based on Sura 80 "He Frowned")

Muhammad was quite unhappy.  He was doing his usual poetry reciting when an intellectual interrupted him.  Now, mind you, Muhammad wasn't much of an intellectual.  Tradition says that before God spoke to him, he couldn't even read.

For most intellectuals, that is enough to dismiss a man.  There are so many books, so many arguments, so many  interpretations, so many details.  All of this is essential to the intellectual.  They have to discuss every iota of every atom.  Everything must be analyzed.  And if one doesn't have the capacity to know the analysis of the last thousand years, that person need not be paid attention to-- nay, they must be dismissed.

Nevertheless, Muhammad knew a thing or two, despite his lack of book knowledge.  He knew that life, as complicated as it is, is better approached with simplicity.   He says there are only a couple things that are most necessary to remember:

1. God made us all and provides for all our needs.  If we remember and acknowledge God's constant action in our lives, we will remember to live lives of gratitude and contentment.  And even the intellectuals have to admit that the studies show that those who are grateful and content with what they have live happier lives. Summary of science on happiness and gratitude.

2. God will judge us for our actions.  Our future can't be seen intellectually by anyone, but our future is dependent on our present.  What we do now effects our life in the future.  And our future after we live, for all eternity, is dependent on how we live now.  If we live for God, do good to all, then we will live in happiness for all eternity.  This cannot be analyzed, but it has been communicated by God again and again by all of His prophets and teachers.  And even the intellectuals admit that being moral and compassionate beings happiness. Study on altruism and happiness.

Religion and intellectualism CAN meet!

Creative Theology

In reading Sura 53, I was pretty mystified.

Have ye seen Lat. and 'Uzza,

And another, the third (goddess), Manat?

What! for you the male sex, and for Him, the female?

Behold, such would be indeed a division most unfair!

Manat sounds familiar-- and Ali helpfully gives us the note that it is the name of a goddess.  That means the other two names are probably goddesses as well, right?  

But what about the next two lines?

Looking around (in a commentary) I see that the verse is highlighting the pagan hypocrisy.  It is a common pagan practice to allow female babies to starve, if they were really wanting a male one.  No one wanted to refuse to have female babies, but just not as many as male ones, as male babies grow up to be farmers, breadwinners and defenders.  Women, in the ancient world, grew up to be house cleaners and pregnant, and generally a burden to fathers and later husbands in patriarchal societies.

The Quran is pointing out that the pagans make up females for their gods (under the authority of the Most High God, of course), but they aren't really interested to have daughters for themselves.  "Go ahead and refuse to have daughters, but you will fill heaven with women!", it seems to be saying.

The Quran is not saying anything against women here-- although it does say that no spiritual power is given a female name-- rather, the word is just pointing out that the pagans don't know the first thing about the Spirit world.  They make up what they want and present it as the truth.

The Quran speaks the truth-- the only way anyone can know anything about the spirit world is by revelation, not by invention.  

For this reason, theologians of most types truly disturb me.  Theology is not supposed to be innovative or imaginative.  Theology is supposed to be conceptually conservative.  This is because, ultimately, the Spirit World is a mystery, displayed to us in fits and starts unless there is someone who can be proven to know more about that world than any of the rest of us.  The Spirit world is like an image in a kaleidoscope-- one person may see one image, and other person may see another image, but it is impossible to determine in that image.  Only when we put the Kaleidoscope down and look directly at the object, can we really know what it is.

But who has actually seen that world, directly.  Only God Himself, or angels.  Muhammad claimed to have his revelation directly from an angel.   Jesus claimed to have seen it himself, directly.  Moses claimed to have his revelation directly from God.  So, as long as their claims are true, they qualify.

Theologians, however, are only dealing with shadows and mysteries.  Interpretations of texts and dreams and ancient stories.  They should be the most conservative, careful of sciences.  Instead, most theologians are slip-shod, careless and inventive.

This is not to say that the presentation of truth shouldn't be imaginative-- Madeline L'Engle isn't to be denied, nor her ilk. Nor does it mean that theology shouldn't be radical.  If theology is true, it must demand radical change to the world.  But the message of theology should be only that which was revealed, without innovation, without addition.

A Quranic Shift

Just to remind readers of my comments on the Quran, that I am reading the Suras (poems/chapters) in the chronological order that is presented in the WikiIslam.  There is some disagreement as to what the original stated order of these Suras are, but I find this order to be plausible, for the most part. 

Now we approach Sura 53, The Star, which changes the literary aspect of the poems.

I believe the message is still pretty much the same: focusing on the supremacy of God, and ethical action based on the reality of the resurrection and the judgement of all mankind.   However, I think that from here on out, the Suras become more complex, and they deal with more specific issues.

Up until now, the Suras have been pretty much Theology 101.  Introduction and discussion of some pretty basic monotheistic ideas.  Now, the conversation gets more complex.  And longer.  And more details.

This is all good, and I'm glad that we are going to get more specific.  But it also means that we will be heading into areas which require more study on my part.  And, frankly, not everything will be in my areas of interst.  So instead of grouping Suras together, I will be more often just speaking about parts of Suras, and letting the rest go, just as I did with other theological texts.  It was never my plan to write out a complete commentary on the Quran.  First of all, I'm not qualified, but also that would be pretty tedious at times, and the last thing this blog needs is more tedium.

The Problem of Preaching...

Anytime we try to convince others of a truth based upon our presuppositions, we will have our presuppositions questioned.  Some would say that is the basic purpose of teenagers.

Muhammad went to the pagan believers with a message of repentance based on the coming judgment day.

First they questioned: How will we get to a judgment day, if we are already dead?

Muhammad says: God will raise you from the dead.

They responded: No one can raise the dead!  Once you are dead, that's it!

Muhammad says: Is anything impossible for God?

They responded: What has God done that even comes close to that scale of creation?

Muhammad says: Well, how about creating you from sperm?  How about creating the earth?  How about sending out winds, sometimes to our benefit, sometimes with destruction?  How about the sky-- can you find a flaw in it?

They say: Well, perhaps, perhaps not.  But even so, how do we know that anyone will actually be judged?

Muhammad says: Because some have already been judged by God.  The generation of Noah, Pharaoh of old, Sodom and Gomorrah, and some of our own generation has been punished and we will freely admit "Oh yes, they have been punished by God."  If some are judged this way, why not all?  Will God not determine justice for all the earth?

At this point they will get uncomfortable and leave.

And the preacher keeps on preaching, and some will believe and many will not.  That is the state of being a preacher.

The Final Day

When the Bible speaks of the last days, it doesn't do so in a  way that we might consider obvious today.

When we speak of the "last days" we talk about a few basic ideas:
-a time when every person will be resurrected from the dead
-a judgement day when each person's eternal destiny will be decided by their deeds
-final destination will either be a permanent state of bliss/contentment or a permanent state of punishment

In the Psalms, such as Psalm 22 or Psalm 37, it is a more personal statement, assuring oneself of the justice of the cosmos through the will of God.

In Isaiah, the Gospels and in Revelation it is spoken of a warning for followers of God to act faithfully and justly.

In Daniel and in Paul's writings, it is a statement of comfort to those who suffer under persecution.

It is left to Muhammad and the later Christian writers to make the obvious step of using these eschatalogical events to warn unbelievers of their coming demise unless they repent.  Admittedly, it is not far from what John the Baptist does, but even John is speaking to those within the folds of Judaism.  It is interesting that Muhammad uses the ideas of resurrection and judgment and eternal destiny to convince pagans of their demise unless they repent.

In Sura 101, Muhammad speaks generally of the day of judgment, explaining what it is and the eternal destiny that awaits both the good and the evil.   It is more like a teaching poem, but still delivering the emotional impact of the final day.

In Sura 75,  Muhammad is confronted by those who claim that the resurrection of the dead, and thus the judgment day, is impossible.  The Sura's only proof is the omnipotence of God-- that God can do whatever He wishes.  Today, the resurrection of the dead shouldn't be doubted on the level of ability since it has been shown that one can clone any cellular creature.  The only real question is why would one want to resurrect the dead.  And the answer given here is simply: justice.

At the end of the life of each person, we can see that it is rare for a person to get what they deserve.  Those who have done evil to many often live according to their own terms.  Those who have done good often get only punishment and suffering in return.  The resurrection and judgment is an opportunity for pure justice to exist.  It is like karma, except instead of continually being stuck in an unjust universe, there is a final break and justice-- true justice-- finally comes to all.

The Quran and the Bible recognize that unless true justice prevails, those who make excuses to do evil will continue to do so.  Only with true and perfect justice-- even a justice that only happens in an unknown future-- can evil be kept at bay.

Finally in Sura 104,  all the pieces come together and a message to those who do evil is given, like any good fire and brimstone preacher.  It is spoken to those who slander God through their actions: specifically those who pile up wealth as if that would give them eternal security.  Rather, those who think that this life is all there is, and acts accordingly, will end up burning forever in punishment.

Right belief can lead to right action and right action to bliss, if only we are willing to wait for it.

Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth!

(It will be said:) "Depart ye to that which ye used to reject as false!

 "Depart ye to a Shadow (of smoke ascending) in three columns,

 "(Which yields) no shade of coolness, and is of no use against the fierce Blaze.

 "Indeed it throws about sparks (huge) as Forts,

Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth!

That will be a Day when they shall not be able to speak.

Nor will it be open to them to put forth pleas.

Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth!

That will be a Day of Sorting out! We shall gather you together and those before (you)!

                                                                                                                  -Sura 77

The Oneness of God

Moses:

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
  Deuteronomy 6:4-5


Jesus:

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'  The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
 Mark 12:28-31 


Paul:

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
 Ephesians 4:4-6

Muhammad:

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him.
   Quran,  Sura 112

In all of these sayings, the most important idea is not that God is one being.  Most beings are unified, and the ancient world recognized that.  Rather, it is that God alone is supreme over the universe. There is no one like Him, no one above Him, no one beside Him, no one can take His place.  Thus, God's unity is His sufficiency and His alone-ness.  Even Christianity, with a Trinitarian notion of God, recognizes that God is one and no one else is beside Him.


It is this notion that all the monotheistic religions agree upon (as well as a few other things).   It is important so that we know that God is not at war with Himself.  God does not change.  God can't one day be replaced.  God isn't of multiple personalities.  God will never break his promises. When we see God's actions on earth, it may seem that God does have different personalities.  But we recognize that while God may repent of harm, that God remains steadfast in His purpose to do good to all.  While other spirits under God may harm, God is merciful.  While humanity, including religious leaders and practitioners, will often be faithless and hating and changeable-- they do not represent God in that way.


God is one and does not change.

You Go Your Way, I"ll Go Mine

There are some who do not believe in God, or who do not believe in the God we believe in.  That may frustrate some of us, and we may try to force others to believe.  But to do so is fruitless.  We can't force someone to see what they do not see.  If we try to force, we will only cause greater conflict, and more resistance.

We should have the same attitude as Muhammade and say as he said, "You go your way and I'll go mine."

We can, of course, explain what we believe.  We can give our perspective on local history, for example.  Some may say "The Civil War was caused by many events" and leave it at that.  Others may say that God used the Civil War to end the atrocity of slavery.  This doesn't mean God caused the Civil War, but used it for His work.

Even so, Muhammad used the story of a local event about an elephant to speak of God's involvement in local history. That makes sense.

Also, Muhammad spoke of how God helps in his life.  "There are many evils around us", he said.  Evil human beings. Evil curses. Evil desires against us.  God is the light in the midst of the darkness, the refuge from the storm of evil.  Satan himself speaks evil to us and about us.  But God and God alone allows us to be protected.

"And so I seek God" says Muhammad.  You may seek other things.  Money, perhaps.  Science.  Power.  Force.  "But I," said Muhammad, "have my hope in God alone."

Charity

Do you know who really rejects the faith?

The one who mistreats the orphans.

Who doesn't advocate the feeding of the poor.

Woe to those who observe the prayers

Only to show off

And they deny charity.

Check it out

Different translation


Art: TV Has Made Us Monsters  by Bansky

Rebuke of the Joneses

Frankly, in Sura 102, the rebuke is pretty general.  Basically, it offers a rebuke who spend all their time piling up useless stuff.  To focus on material goods, the Quran warns, diverts one from more important matters-- seeking God. And those who refuse to seek God will be punished eternally.

Jesus has a very similar attitude toward those who seek to increase their wealth:

"Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.... The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'  So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
 (Luke 12:15-21)

James is much harsher to those who keep wealth for themselves:

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!  You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
 (James 5)



Isn't it funny how all of these sacred texts are firm about the punishment of those who spend their lives trying to better themselves financially, but that is what we expect of our citizens?  And those who do not do well financially, we consider spiritually inept?  Yet, isn't it the other way around?

Possessions distract and destroy.  The one who surrenders to God doesn't have time to build up wealth for himself.

Quran Background 1: Arabia in Muhammad's Time

Arabia in the sixth century AD had no central government.  The opinion of the great civilizations of the time, namely the Byzantine Empire and the western states of crumbling Rome, was that the Arabian desert was the unknown wilderness.  The population there was divided up among various nomadic tribes, whose economic focus was trading.  They mostly traded spices and other exotic items, and a few tribes became quite wealthy.

                The religious center of Arabia was the city Mecca (alternative spelling, Mekka) where there was an intersection of trade routes.  In Mecca was the Ka’ba, the large black box which contained every and god that the Arabians worshipped.  It was said among a few that the foundation of the Ka’ba was built by Abraham and his son, Ishmael (in Arabic Ibrahim and Ismail) who were the ancestors of the Arabian peoples.  As opposed to Ibrahim, however, most Arabians at the time of Muhammad were polytheistic, worshipping local deities.  The greatest of these deities was the god, Allah, yet even he was only one of many gods who were worshipped, which included the Virgin Mary.  To show respect to all of these deities, many Arabians would make an annual pilgrimage to Mecca.  One tribe, the Quaysh was the group of caretakers for the Ka’ba, the center of the pilgrimage.  It is within this tribe that Muhammad was born.

                But not every Arabian was polytheistic.  There were also quite a few other religious groups that had come to Arabia.  Jews, fleeing persecution, came to rest in Arabia.  In fact, it is estimated that up to one half of the Arabian city of Yathrib was Jewish.  

There were also Christians trading with the Quaysh, mostly on the other side of the Red Sea, in Africa.  Most of these Christians believed in a different kind of Trinitarianism than most orthodox Christians do today..  They held that the divinity and humanity of Christ was completly separated, and so discussion of Jesus' divinity was different than how we understand it.  However the Christians had monasteries and many good works such as fasting and giving to the poor, although there is no evidence that they existed in Mecca itself.  

There were quite possibly also some small splinter groups of Gnostics who separated morality into spirit, which was good, and flesh, which was evil.  These groups were somewhat Christian in outlook, but they denied the crucifixion and the incarnation to a certain degree.

Power Horses

In Sura 100, The Coursers,  a comparison is made between war horses and humanity.  And, well, humanity doesn't come out well.

The horses are seen from the perspective of their masters, and they are magnificent. They labor hard, and not for their own purposes.  They run with all their might, simply because their master commands them to. They sacrifice themselves in the midst of battle, even though they don't know what the purpose of the fighting is for.

How do humans look from the Master's perspective? Ungrateful and selfish.  It isn't that humans don't work-- they can accomplish some amazing deeds.  But they don't work for their Master, but for themselves.  They don't work for the needy, or for building up God's goals.  Rather, they work for their own glory, their own influence.

The Sura ends with an important question-- What will happen when the Lord opens up the heart of each person to everyone?  When we see the true motivation of all people, who can possibly stand? 

Gratitude: Not Just Attitude

In the midst of the prophetically angry Quran, there are a number of suras of comfort and reminders of God's grace.

In Sura 94, the Muslims* are reminded of their deliverance by God.  They had terrible burdens and were oppressed, but God had given them freedom.  The deeply comforting words are repeated twice: "With every difficulty there is relief; Verily, with every difficulty there is relief."

In God, no matter what terrible horrors we must face, no matter what persecutions or trials, there is, in the end, relief.

In Sura 93, "Morning Bright",  the Muslim is compared to an orphan, lost and fatherless, whom God takes under His wing, providing shelter and care.

However, the Quran recognizes that every gift is, in itself, a demand.  The greater the gift, so greater our response to the gift must be, if only to display proper gratitude.  We need not give as much as the giver did, but we must return something to show that we truly appreciated the gift.

For God's deliverance, what does He request?  In Suras 93 and 94, God requires three things:

a. God requests that we turn our attention to Him.  In our lives, we are constantly focused on Him and thinking how we can properly live our lives in light of the gift of life and freedom He has given us.

b. God asks that we work hard for the purposes He has set us to.  That we work not only for our own well being, but for God's purposes and glory.

c. Finally, God properly asks that we care for the needy and orphans, even as He has helped us when we were needy and an orphan.  We should provide shelter and care for those who do not have it.

These tasks are not onerous, but the proper gratitude to the God who has given us life, freedom and provision.

*"Muslim" isn't necessarily the adherent of a particular religion, but by definition "one who is submitted to God"   Although, of course, one would usually define "submission" by one's own belief system.

Is Muhammad Just Repeating the Bible?

Sura 111-- This is a judgment on an enemy of the Quran.  It isn't really that different-- and certainly no worse-- than the curses in the Psalms (see 109:6-20!) or the curses of the prophets.  We don't know why this man was so cursed, but that is often the case in ancient poetry.

Sura 87-- This has some basics of the Quran.  God is a God of order, not chaos. What God wants of us is to live according to His Path.  This Path is not complicated, but easy to follow.  This Path is revealed, bit by bit, in the process of revealing the Quran. Those who oppose the path will be destroyed on the day of judgment.  Note that this is really no different than a good portion of Jesus' claim.  He said that the "gospel" or his teaching was essential for entering the kingdom and those who lived it would live and those who didn't would be judged (see Matthew 7:21-27).

In seeing these claims from different people, we need to ask these questions:
a. Are these claims contradictory?  In other words, is it possible to follow both sets of teachings?
b. Which one, if either is speaking for God?  How could we know if one is or is not?

Surah 92-- Again, a summary of The Path:

So he who gives (in charity) and fears ((Allah)),
And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,-
We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss.
And gives the lie to the best,-But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient,
We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery;
Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit).


Is this really different from Jesus' teaching?  Jesus said:



Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.
The land of a rich man was very productive.
And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'
Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!
And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?
If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!
And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.
For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.
But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 (Luke 12:15-34)


Both are basically saying: Have faith in God and don't be greedy.  Jesus' teaching perhaps applies more broadly than most of us are comfortable with (as he paints a businessman as being judged and he says "sell your possessions and give to the poor"), but are not Muhammad and Jesus saying basically the same thing?

Judgment Day

Before I continue with my commentary on the Quran, I want to give another disclaimer.  I am not an expert on the Quran, and yet I will give some speculations.  If something seems odd to me, I might look at a commentary, but if the commentary doesn't make sense to me I'll go my own way.  I welcome serious students of the Quran to critique my commentaries.  If I've got it wrong, I'm sorry.

Now, let me move ahead in my blindness...

Sura 74 is called "The Cloaked Man", which might very well refer to Muhammad, who was seeking another revelation like he did before.  Perhaps the Sura could be split, revealed at two different times, but it seems to me that it might all work together.

Muhammad was in dispute with a critic.  The critic said that there was no day of judgment.  That no All-powerful God would come to judge between the good and the bad, and that Muhammad's own poetry proved nothing.  He said that Muhammad had only made a few poems and recited them, but that was no indication of God's power, or a necessity to pray to Him.

I like this Sura.  First of all, it is its own response.  It is speaking back to the critic, saying, "See, I can give Muhammad as many revelations as I want."

But most of all, the poem says, "Do what you like.  The day of judgment comes whether you like it or not."

This is one thing Muhammad had in similarity to Jesus.  They both took the final day with the utmost seriousness.  We are to organize our lives according to how we will be ultimately judged by God.  This idea is life changing and powerful.

Those who wish to live immoral lives deny God and deny the day of judgment. (They aren't the only ones who do, but certainly they do)  (Psalm 14 and Psalm 53).  They say this to claim that there is no recrimination for their evil deeds.  Both Jesus and Muhammad (and David) strongly oppose this notion.  They may not agree as to what the standard of judgment is, but the judgment of God is coming.  And we need to get ready for it.

Going to Extremes

In the chonological order of the Quran, Sura 58 ("The Binding")  is the third poem Muhammad gave.  Yet already, there is discussion of reading the Quran all night.  Not, of course, the entire Quran, but the poems that Muhammad had already given. It speaks of extreme prayer and fasting.

And then it dismisses it.  It doesn't actually command that one shouldn't partake in such practices, but it strongly discourages them. Basically, the poem says, "You've got a lot of other things to do for God.  Don't destroy yourself through worship to make yourself unfit for anything else."  It's pretty wise, really.

It especially makes sense of the historic context.  The time of Muhammad was the end of the time of the desert fathers, who were hermits who lived in the desert.  Also this is a couple centuries after St. Simeon Stylites who spend 37 years living on a pole for the Lord.  This was an age of "spiritual athletes" where many extreme spiritual practices were being done.



For his community, Muhammad nipped these kinds of practices in the bud.  The Quranic submission to God ("islam") is not to include extreme spiritual practices, especially those that cause neglect the every day practices of living.

In comparing this to Jesus' teaching, I have to say that Jesus is much more of an extremist than Muhammad.  Muhammad was much more a practitioner of Aristotle's motto, Moderation in all things, than Jesus.  Jesus certainly encouraged some kinds of extremism.

• He encouraged lowliness and discouraged any kind of self-exaltation. (Luke 14:11)
• He encouraged love of everyone, even to the detriment of ones well-being. (Luke 6:35ff)
• He encouraged the rejection of family, if it meant better dedication to God (Luke 14:16)  (although not to the degree of actually harming one's family--Mark 7:11-13)
• He spoke of the surrender of all of one's possessions to God, and much of it to the poor (Luke 14:33; 12:33)
• And most of all, he spoke of following him being equal to denying oneself and dying for the faith (Mark 8:34)

Jesus was not the most balanced of religious leaders.  He lived an extreme life and required this of his disciples.  But most of all, Jesus required an extreme love.  Everything was to be balanced by love.

Jesus might completely agree with Sura 73.  He saw no benefit of extreme religious ritual.  But he did encourage-- nay, command-- extreme love.  "Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends."  We definitely don't need more people to be religious extremists.  We don't need more people praying all night.  We do, however, need people to surrender their lives for love.  After all, love makes the world go 'round.

The Pen Gives Proof of Revolution

Sura 68 ("The Pen") is still very early chronologically, but it is after Muhammad had been reciting his poems to the populace at large.  Perhaps it was when he was reciting them in his wife's house, when she had gathered people to hear her husband.

Nevertheless, there is strong opposition against Muhammad.  Some have called him mad or possessed by a demon.  Allah defends Muhammad in this Sura.  You can read it here.

He tells a story about a group of farmers.  During harvest, they collect the fruit, but refuse to acknowledge God in the process. One morning, they awake and there is nothing to harvest-- all the fruit is gone. They believe that thieves are the cause of their sorrow but one among them says that it is because they have refused to give God what is His due.  Their anger then transfers from thieves to the one among them who rebuked the others.  Thus, says the Sura, the one will be rewarded while the unbelievers will be punished.  In this life, it says, punishment is for a time, but eternally punishment is much more harsh.

I can't help but compare this to Jesus' experience and his parable of the tenant farmers.

Jesus also was declared "mad" and "possessed" by some around him.  His very family wanted him locked away (in contrast, Muhammad's family was supportive).  Jesus defended himself in many ways, but there are two that I find especially significant:
-He says that his miracles are "witnesses" to the truth of his teaching.  These miracles could only happen by God's hand and they do God's work.  Therefore, Jesus' speech must be from God. (John 5:36ff)
-Secondly, Jesus says that the miracles couldn't come from Satan, for they are directly attacking Satan's kingdom.  Satan may have the power for the miracles, but he wouldn't purposely cause a civil war, would he? (Matthew 12:24-28)

It is interesting that Jesus' arguments are based on the miracles no one could deny.  Muhammad's proof was his poetry itself.  I am not denying the powerful proof of the exquisite beauty of the poem. However,unlike Keats, I have a hard time accepting beauty as proof of truth.  Apart from that, we only have the word of the poem itself.  Perhaps the message has such power that I can accept it for that.  Certainly Muhammad's message was truth for idolaters-- there is one God and a day of judgment.  But if it is proof for idolaters, should it not also be proof for Christians and Jews?

Muhammad's tale also has a similarity to Jesus' tale of the tenant farmers.  In Jesus' story (Mark 12:1-11), the farmers were keeping the fruit themselves without giving any to the owner.  The owner sent messengers (prophets) to collect the rent, but the renters refused, beating and killing the messengers.  Finally the owner sent the heir, and the renters killed him as well.  This caused the owner to take up arms and kill the renters.

Note the differences in the analogy.  Muhammad is placed as one among the harvesters, who speaks wisdom about needing to show respect.  Jesus puts himself as the Son, the Prince who will own the kingdom.  Certainly Jesus makes a bolder claim about himself, and a bolder claim requires a bolder proof.

A miracle poem is sufficient proof that one must give God His rightful acknowledgement.  To prove oneself as the proper king, when there has been no king for 600 years, demands a huge proof.  Healings?  Perhaps. Raising from the dead?  That would be sufficient.  The debate between Christians and Muslims is whether Jesus actually rose from the dead...

Who We Really Are

Sura 96 of the Quran is considered to be the first poem Muhammad received from the angel Gabriel.  You can read it here.

The story goes like this:

Muhammad was born the son of a middle class merchant. He never learned how to read or write. He married a wealthy widow, and spent much of his time away from people, seeking the true God.  Muhammad determined already that Allah, the God of Abraham, was the God he should seek.

Then, out of the blue, he received a message from the angel Gabriel, in the form of a poem.  The beginning of this poem was the command "Recite!" or, otherwise translated "Read!".  Muhammad was confused, as he couldn't read, but as he received the words of the poem, he found that he had become literate.

However, all of that isn't what the Sura is about.

Instead, it is about  secularists, or people who are practical secularists.  It says, "Men think they are self-sufficient, and so transgress all bounds."  The true path, however, is the path of God.  The one who denies others the right to seek God will be judged by God.

When this was spoken, it was not spoken about atheists or agnostics.  Rather, it was about people who believed in their god or gods, and prayed at the right time, but lived their lives the way they wanted to, thus denying any real belief in God.

To believe is to act.  We know what a person truly believes by how they treat others, how they act when no one is looking, how they spend their money.  God will judge every human according to his or her deeds, so says Jesus and the rest of the NT.  Every deed, especially the hidden ones.  Make no mistake, God is not mocked, He knows who we really are and our eternity is determined by our true self.