The Messenger

1. Is the messenger a mere “post-man”?.

Even if we sent down to them a physical book, written on paper, and they touched it with
their hands, those who disbelieved would have said, "This is no more than clever
magic." (Quran 6:7)

The above verse clearly shows us that had GOD revealed a book straight from the sky,
this would not have helped those who did not wish to believe.

Therefore, it was GOD’s plan that a messenger delivers the book to the people over a set
period of time that they may study and understand it.

‘A Quran that we have separated, in order that it may be understood by the people over a
long period, although we sent it down all at once.’ (Quran 17:106)

2. What was the role of the messenger?

"Say, "I am not different from other messengers. I have no idea what will happen to me
or to you. I only follow what is revealed to me. I am no more than a profound
warner." (Quran 46:9)

It is GOD's system on Earth "sunna" that He constantly sends messengers to warn and
save communities before they annihilate themselves by following other than GOD's
perfect religion.

The role of the last Prophet of Islam was to also 'warn' his community as well as the
world:

"We thus reveal to you an Arabic Quran to warn the mother of communities and all
around it, and to warn about the Day of Summoning that is inevitable. Some will end up
in Heaven, and some in Hell." (Quran 42:7)

It is this very 'message' that has now reached over 1 billion human beings to save their
very souls!

Yet, even though this difficult and profound message has reached all these people, most
are still claiming that this is not what the messenger delivered, and that we should follow
his example!.

‘The messenger of GOD has set up a good example for those among you who seek GOD
and the Last Day, and constantly think about GOD.’ (Quran 33:21)
The courage, patience, devotion, and love of GOD that the messenger displayed are all
exemplary examples for us to follow.

The messenger faced a terrifying challenge in delivering GOD’s words to a people who
were accustomed to a way of life and traditions, which contradicted the very system of
GOD. It was this sole messenger that stood in the face of overwhelming odds, continued
to have faith and patience, and always knew that he must serve GOD Alone, even if all
the odds were telling him otherwise.

‘Do you expect to enter Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were
tested with hardship and adversity, and were shaken up, until the messenger and those
who believed with him said, "Where is GOD's victory?" GOD's victory is near.’ (Quran
2:214)

The Quran not only contains the laws of GOD, but it also contains the beautiful examples
of the prophet:

- His dealing with the idol worshippers;

- His compassion towards the believers (3:31);
- His love and constant remembered of GOD (33:21);
- His human fear of failing (2:214);
- His dealing with his wives rebellion;
- His dealing with his adopted son’s problems (33:27);
- His weakness in paying attention to the rich and powerful (80:1-12);

All these and many more examples are contained within the precious book that GOD has
honored. His, is like the exemplary example of Abraham with the idol worshippers:

‘A good example has been set for you by Abraham and those with him. They said to their
people, "We disown you and the idols that you worship besides GOD. We denounce you,
and you will see nothing from us except animosity and hatred until you believe in GOD
ALONE’ (Quran 60:4)

The life of the messenger gives us frail humans HOPE that it is indeed possible to live the
way of GOD (as described in the Quran) and to uphold His covenant in light of all
adversity.

Without the messenger’s example, we may not even had bothered to read or study the
Quran for fear that it was an ‘impractical’ book which assumed too much of a fictional
utopian society.

3. Do we follow the messenger?.

‘The messenger said, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran." (Quran 25:30)
Once a person understands the words of GOD, then he/she is responsible to live that life
and uphold the covenant with GOD as did Lot once he heard the message delivered by
Abraham:

‘Lot believed with him and said, "I am emigrating to my Lord. He is the Almighty, the
Most Wise." (Quran 29:26)

4. Do we respect the messenger?

‘Surely, those who lower their voices at the messenger of GOD are the ones whose hearts
are prepared by GOD to become righteous. They have deserved forgiveness and a great
recompense.’ (Quran 49:3)

None of us hear will ever blaspheme the message of the Quran, nor would we allow any
such thing to occur with our knowledge or presence.

It is this respect of the ‘word of GOD’ that the messenger himself delivered which shows
our respect and devotion to him.

‘He has instructed you in the scripture that: if you hear GOD’s revelations being mocked
and ridiculed, you shall not sit with them, unless they delve into another subject.
Otherwise, you will be as guilty as they are. GOD will gather the hypocrites and the
disbelievers together in Hell.’ (Quran 4:140)

5. Do we love the messenger?

‘Some people set up others to rival GOD, and love them as they love GOD. Those who
believe love GOD the most. If only the transgressors could see themselves when they see
the retribution! They will realize then that all power belongs to GOD alone, and that
GOD's retribution is awesome.’ (Quran 2:165)

What else is left for us to say?

We respect and follow the messenger by upholding that which he delivered, but as for our
love; There is only ONE who is worthy of absolute love.

The One who initiated the heavens and the earth, the One who created life and death, the
One who’s hand guides the hearts of those who believe.

‘Is One who creates like one who does not create? Would you now take heed?’ (Quran
16:17)

How can we even dare to love any other than GOD?

‘If you count GOD's blessings, you cannot possibly encompass them. GOD is Forgiver,
Most Merciful.’ (Quran 16:18)

Stay with GOD...there can never be anywhere else to go, but to Him.
Obey God & the Messenger
Many people site the Quraanic Verses that command us to Obey Allah and Obey the
Messenger, and say that Obeying Allah and obeying the Messenger are two different
things - Obeying Allah is to obey the Quraan and obeying the Messenger is to obey the
books of Hadith. They point that if obeying the Messenger was the same thing as obeying
Allah's Quraan, then Allah would have only said Obey Allah. These people say that
Allahs inclusion of obey the Messenger implies that the Messenger is saying EXTRA
things outside of the Quraan that we must obey.

The thing that many proponents of Hadith forget is that Allah does not leave it to
speculation as to what the people are to obey. The Ayaat do not end at Obey Allah and
obey the Messenger, but they continue to include what the duty of the Messenger is:

And obey Allah and obey the messenger and be cautious; but if you turn back, then know
that only a clear deliverance of the message is (incumbent) on Our messenger <wa ma_
alar rasu_li il lal balaghul mubin (5:92)

And Allah has made for you of what He has created shelters, and He has given you in the
mountains places of retreat, and He has given you garments to preserve you from the heat
and coats of mail to preserve you in your fighting; even thus does He complete His favor
upon you, that haply you may submit. But if they turn back, then on you devolves only
the clear deliverance (of the message) <wa ma_ alar rasu_li il lal balaghul mubin.
(16:81-82)

And if you (o people) reject (the truth), nations before you did indeed reject (the truth);
and nothing is incumbent on the messenger but a plain delivering (of the message) <wa
ma_ alar rasu_li il lal balaghul mubin.(29:18)

And obey Allah and obey the messenger, but if you turn back, then upon Our messenger
devolves only the clear delivery (of the message) <wa ma_ alar rasu_li il lal balaghul
mubin.(64:12)

Say: Obey Allah and obey the messenger; but if you turn back, then on him rests that
which is imposed on him and on you rests that which is imposed on you; and if you obey
him, you are on the right way; and nothing rests on the messenger but clear delivering (of
the message) <wa ma_ alar rasu_li il lal bala_ghul mubin. (24:54)

Now, if we look at these Ayaat, we notice that Allah has clearly pointed out the duty of
the Messenger, i.e. that he must DELIVER the Clarity <Balaghul Mubeen. We have seen
that the Clarity or the Message of the Messenger is the Quraan. Here we will look at
another important term used in the Quraan. This term is Balagha, meaning the reaching,
or delivery of the Messenger.
The word Messenger is derived from the word Message. A Messenger delivers a
Message. To Obey the Messenger would thus mean to obey the message he is delivering.
We have seen in the previous chapters that the Messenger is teaching, preaching,
explaining and living by the Quraan.

Here again we will see that his delivery <Balagha is the Quraan:

Here is the <haza is a delivery <balaghu for Humans; let them take warning therefrom,
and let them know that He is One God; let the People of Understanding take heed (14:52)

This Ayah points to IT <haza, meaning THIS IS (pointing to the Quraan itself) is the
delivery of the Messenger. This is further clarified in the following Ayah:

Before this We wrote in The Zabur, after the Zikar: My righteous servants shall inherit
the earth. Verily in this is a message <Balaghan for the servants of Allah (21:105-106)

However, some people says that 21:106 is pointing to 21:105 and not to the Quraan. They
still have no answer to 14:52. However, we will not pursue this further as Allah does not
leave His Message to speculation, but He Defines what He means. Let us continue to read
the Quraan:

O Messenger! Proclaim <Baligh what is sent down to you <ma Unzila Ilaika from your
Lord. If you do not, you would not have fulfilled and proclaimed His message: and Allah
will defend you from people. For Allah Guides not those who Reject (5:67)

Here the Balagh is defined as that which is being sent down on the Prophet from Allah
<unzila. We have seen in the previous chapters what was being sent down was nothing
but the Quraan. However, a sick heart might still insist that there was EXTRA something
that was sent down and that EXTRA something is in the Hadith books. Thus we continue
to read the next Ayah after 5:67, where Allah further explains the nature of what was
being sent down:

Say: O people of the Book! You have no grounds to stand upon unless you stand fast by
The Torah and The Injeel and all the rest that has come down to you from your Lord. It is
what is SENT DOWN to you that increases in most of them their obstinate blasphemy.
But sorrow you not over people without faith (5:68)

Here what is being sent down on the Prophet is compared with the Torah and the Injeel,
i.e. it is the Quraan. It is further explained that Allah has sent down<anzala the Book with
the Prophets:Mankind was one single nation, and Allah established Prophets giving glad
tidings and warnings, and with them He sent down <anzala The Book in Truth. (2:213)

It is He Who sent down <nazala to you, in Truth, the Book (3:3).

But people say that not only the Book was sent down but also an EXTRA revelation
known as al-Hikma (The Wisdom) was also sent down. They site some Ayaat from the
Quraan to this effect. One of them is related here:

For Allah has sent down <anzala to you the Book and the Wisdom and taught you what
you knew not (4:113)

We will, inshaAllah deal with Al-Hikma later in another chapter. But for now, we will
site a couple of Quraanic Ayaat to show that the Book is INCLUSIVE of the Hikmah,
and the Al-Hikma that is being sent down is the Quraan:

Those who conceal what Allah has sent down<anzala in the Book , and purchase for them
a miserable profit - they swallow into themselves nothing but fire; Allah will not address
them on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify them : grievous will be their penalty (2:174)

Here we notice that the warning is ONLY given for concealing the Book, and not the
Hikmah. Does this mean that those who conceal the Hikmah in the books of Hadith will
not be punished No, but the answer is that The-Book is inclusive of the Hikmah and
concealing the Book would automatically conceal the Hikmah.

Because Allah sent down<nazala the Book in Truth, but those who seek causes of dispute
in the Book are in a schism far (2:176)

If Hikmah is separate from the Book, then it means that it would be ok to seek causes of
dispute in the Hikmah as it is ONLY the Book that is mentioned above. Here, I digress.
Let me get back to the word Balagha.

There is no point in dwelling on speculations when one has the weightiest evidence

Say: What thing is most weighty in Evidence Say: Allah is a Witness between me and
you; this QURAAN has been revealed to me by inspiration that with it <BIHI I may warn
you and all whom it reaches <BALAGHA (6:19)

Here the Messenger clearly establishes what his BALAGHA is It is the Quraan. Thus to
insist without proof that the Messenger was supposed to deliver something else besides
the Quraan is to oppose the Quranic verdict itself that he was to deliver the Message of
the Quraan only.

But the argument does not end here. People point out that Obey Allah and Obey the
Messenger should mean that obedience to the Messenger is separate from Obedience to
Allah. This is absurd, as the Messenger does not have any authority except for the reason
that he is SENT by Allah. Had Muhammad not been a Messenger of Allah would people
obey him The answer is NO. Thus Obedience to the Prophet is BECAUSE he is the
Messenger of Allah. Thus the two are NOT mutually exclusive obedience - one is highly
dependent on the other. It is the same as saying eat an apple and eat its nutrition. Here is
further Evidence from the Quraan that they are the same:
And an announcement from ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER to the people on the day
of the greater pilgrimage that ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER are free from liability to
the idolaters; therefore, if you repent, it will be better for you, and if you turn back, then
know that you will not weaken Allah; and announce painful punishment to those who
disbelieve (9:3)

Now, did the people hear Allah giving this announcement of immunity The answer is
No!. It was only from the LIPS of His Messenger, Muhammad, that they heard this
announcement of immunity. Yet it is supposed to come from both Allah and His
Messenger. Or do people think that one announcement came from Allah and ANOTHER
came from the Messenger Allah does not speak to all the people. What He does is that He
chooses a human being as His instrument and communicates through that instrument.

Who among the companions of the Prophet ever heard any of Allahs commandments
from Allah DIRECTLY NONE!. How can they OBEY Allah then In that case, according
to your twisted logic all Allah had to do was say Obey the Messenger as it is ONLY
through the LIPS of the Messenger that they are hearing the Quraan.

The following Ayah again establishes that Obedience to Allah and His Messenger is
ONE and the SAME thing:

O you who believe! Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger and do not turn back from HIM
<anhu while you hear (8:20)

Here the believers are identified to be those who were listening to the Messenger who
delivers the Quraanic laws to them, as the singular pronoun anhu (from him) indicates.
This confirms that Allah and His Messenger are not two separate sources of law to be
obeyed, but that the source of Divine law to be obeyed is ONLY Allah and ONLY the
people are able to hear these divine laws through the LIPS of His Messenger.

Then peoples ignorance of the Quraan is further exposed when in desperation they site
the examples of other Prophets like Nuh, Lut, Hud and Salih in the Quraan and say that in
Ash Shuara ( Surah 26) people are commanded to obey these Prophets. People say that
since these Prophets did not have a book, then to obey them would mean that obedience
to Messenger is DIFFERENT from Obedience to Allah. The Quraan refutes this claim as
I have shown above already. But in addition, the Quraan confirms that at each time in
history Allah has given a Book. Either the Prophets themselves were given Books, or
there already was a Book by a previous Prophet to which they were calling the people:

And those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in that which has been revealed to
you, and of the confederates are some who deny a part of it. Say: I am only commanded
that I should serve Allah and not associate anything with Him, to Him do I invite (you)
and to Him is my return. And thus have We revealed it, a true judgment(HUKMAN) in
Arabic, and if you follow their low desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you
shall not have against Allah any guardian or a protector. We did send messengers before
thee, and appointed for them wives and children: and it was never the part of a messenger
to bring an Ayah except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each PERIOD IS A
BOOK (revealed). (13:36-38)

In no uncertain terms has Allah announced here that each Prophet had a Book in his time.
Prophethood and Book is always tied together:

It is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and Wisdom, and the prophetic
office, should say to people: Be ye my slaves rather than Allah's: on the contrary (He
would say) Be ye slaves of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of all: For ye have taught the
Book and ye have studied it earnestly. (3:79)

This Ayah ties Prophethood to the Book. Otherwise, if we take the baseless claim that
certain Prophets came without any Book then this Ayah would be limited Only to those
Prophets who came with the Book, and therefore those Prophets who came without the
Book can still tell people to be their slaves rather than Allahs Further the Quraan
explicitly tells us that Allah gave the Book to Nuh and Lut and their Progeny:

We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all (three) guided; and before him, We guided NUH, and
among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron. Thus do We
reward those who do good; and Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of
the righteous. And Isma'il and Elisha, and Jonas, and LUT; and to all We gave favor
above the nations. (To them) and to their fathers, and progeny and brethren: We chose
them, and we guided them to a straight way. This is the guidance of Allah: He giveth that
guidance to whom He pleases, of His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with
Him, all that they did would be vain for them. These are they to whom We gave the
BOOK and the wisdom and the prophecy; therefore if these disbelieve in it We have
already entrusted with it a people who are not disbelievers in it (6:84-89)

And certainly We sent Nuh and Ibrahim and We gave to their offspring the (gift of)
prophecy and the Book; so there are among them those who go aright, and most of them
are transgressors (57:26)

The above Ayaat make it clear that ALL Prophets came with Allahs Message in some
form of a Book, and that obedience to the Messenger is obedience to Allahs Words that
the Messengers are delivering. Whether these words are preserved or not is another
matter. But as far as the Quraan is concerned the Book has been recorded and preserved.
And as I have shown before that the revelation delivered by the Prophet Muhammad was
nothing but the Quraan, and therefore, to obey the Messenger we must obey the Quraan.
Besides, the speculation that obedience to Allah and obedience to the Messenger are
separate conflicts with the explicit Quraanic statement that Allah does NOT share anyone
in His Law or Hukm:

Surely the Hukm (Law and Judgment) is for none but Allah (12:40)

He does not make anyone His associate in His Hukm (Law and Judgment) (18:26)
The Messenger himself is made to testify that the Law and the Judgment is only from
Allah as revealed through the Messenger in His Book:

Shall I seek a Law-giver other than Allah When He it is Who has revealed to you the
Book distinctly elucidated. (6:114)

Thus, the proponents of Hadith are only relying on conjecture when they say that obey
the Messenger means to obey EXTRA commandments outside of the Quraan; they have
no evidence from the Quraan to back up this claim - only conjecture:

Most of them follow nothing but conjecture: truly conjecture can be of no avail against
truth. Verily Allah is well aware of all that they do. (10:36)

Obey God and Obey the Messenger

Taken from the site: (http://www.quran-islam.org/222.html)

The hadith followers in their earnest attempt to advocate the legality of following the
hadith and sunna of the prophet, play on a corrupted interpretation of the Quranic
command to "obey God and obey the Messenger". They claim that obeying God is to
obey the Quran while as obeying the Messenger is to obey his hadith (personal sayings)
and his sunnah (methods). They add that if obeying the Messenger was the same thing as
obeying God's Quran, then God would have only said Obey God. Thus to their
understanding, God's inclusion of "obey the Messenger" implies that the Messenger has
his own set of religious teachings outside of the Quran that we must obey.

With the guidance of the Quran, the error in this claim can easily be exposed. In the light
of the Quran it can easily be seen that to "obey the Messenger" is to obey the message he
delivered (the Quran) and nothing else.

1- The necessity to say "obey the Messenger":

The inclusion of the phrase "obey the Messenger" after "Obey God" serves a number of
important causes:

A- Who among the companions of the Prophet ever heard any of God's revelations
directly from God? No one! Consequently, they cannot obey God except through
Muhammad's delivery of the Quran. This once again makes it necessary for God to
command people to obey the messenger since he is the one who delivers to them God's
message. Moreover, the messenger did not just deliver the Quran and vanish! The
prophet spent all his years from the time he first received the revelation till his death
inviting all people to believe in and follow the Quran. Hence it is necessary for God to
say to all humans to obey the messenger who is inviting them to follow the Quran.
B- The Quran was revealed to Muhammad in order that he would deliver it to a
community which was primarily composed of idol worshippers but also some followers
of the previous scripture like the Jews and the Christians (Nasara). Once again, and for
the benefit of the followers of the scripture that we understand the neccessity of the
phrase "obey the Messener". To make this clear, let us assume that the command in the
Quran did not contain the phrase "obey the Messenger" but was only a command to
"Obey God". Immediately, the Jews and the Christians (Nasara) would say : But we
already obey God, God has sent us the scripture and we obey it!" Hence, the phrase "obey
the messenger" which is enclosed in the message he (Muhammad) delivered to them
(Quran) endorses the Quran itself as being the last revelation form God to all humans.
The Quran was revealed to mankind so as to supercede all previous scripture:

"Then we revealed to you (O Muhammad) this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous

scriptures, and SUPERSEDING them." 5:48

2- The duty of the Messenger:

"And obey God and obey the messenger and be cautious; but if you turn back, then know
that the SOLE DUTY of the messenger is the deliverance (of the message)" 5:92

"And obey God and obey the messenger, but if you turn back, then upon Our messenger
is the SOLE DUTY of the clear delivery (of the message)" 64:12

Now, if we look at these Ayaat, we notice that God has clearly pointed out the ONLY
duty of the Messenger, i.e. that he must DELIVER the message (Quran).

The word Messenger is derived from the word Message. A Messenger delivers a
Message. If there were no message there would not be a messenger. To Obey the
Messenger would thus mean to obey the message he is delivering.

3- Is it obey "Muhammad" or "obey the Messenger"?

God is the most efficient in expressing any meaning. All Quranic words are chosen by
God to convey a precise meaning.

We never read anywhere in the Quran words like "Obey God and obey Muhammad" or
obey Jesus, or Moses..........always the word messenger........this is to emphasise once
again that what is to be obeyed is the "message" of God and not the personal words or
views of the messenger.
As mentioned earlier, the word Messenger is derived from the word Message. If there
were no message there would not be a messenger. To Obey the Messenger would thus
mean to obey the message he is delivering.

4- The only "message" revealed to Muhammad was the Quran:

In reply to this Quranic truth, the proponents of hadith claim that they have no problem
with the fact that the only duty of Muhammad was to deliver the message, but they
quickly add that the hadith and sunna of Muhammad are part of the "message" and were
inspiration from God! They base such claim on a corrupted interpretion of 53:3-4. As a
matter of fact, they claim that besides the hadith of Muhammad (which they claim was
inspired) they claim that Muhammad received additional revelation directly from God
outside the Quran which they call the 'Hadith Al-Qudsy' or the 'sacred hadith'!

For more info on the corruption of 53:3-4, please see:

The corruption of 53:3-4

With the guidance of the Quran we can quickly establish that Muhammad did not receive
ANY revelation from God other than the Quran. Yes the prophet was inspired by God in
certain personal matter, an example of that is found in 66:3 where God inspired the
prophet regarding the truth of a domestic issue. However, this was mere inspiration from
God and not revelation. The difference between inspiration and revelation is that God
inspires all humans (note how God inspired the mother of Moses). God also inspires the
animals (example of that is in 16:68 where God tells us how He inspires the bees). This is
different from revelation which is specificaly an inspired scripture which contains
religious laws and prohibitions.

Note here that hadith followers uphold the hadith and sunna as the second source of
Islamic law besides the Quran, and by doing so they elevate the hadith to the status of
revelation.

We are told in the Quran that the prophet did not receive any revelation from God other
than the Quran:

"Say (Muhammad): What thing is 'Akbar Shahada' (greatest testimony)? Say: God is a
Witness between me and you; this QURAN has been revealed to me by inspiration that
with it I may warn you and all whom it reaches (BALAGHA)" 6:19

This testimony which God describes as "Akbar Shahada" "Greatest Testimony"

commands Muhammad to testify that He received the Quran from God. This testimony
speaks of only one revelation received by Muhammad from God which is the Quran. If
Muhammad truly received other revelation from God other than the Quran, would we not
find any mention of it in the Quran? Would God hide the fact that He gave Muhammad
revelation outside the Quran and then command us to obey it?

Moreover, to insist that every word uttered by the prophet was even inspiration (let alone
revelation) is once again to show ignorance with the Quran. We are given in the Quran
six different cases where the prophet committed errors for which he was reprimanded by
God.

The question here is how can someone who's every word is inspired by God commit
ANY errors? Could God be inspiring mistakes to His prophet!!!

5- God promises to preserve the Quran and nothing else:

"Absolutely, we have revealed the 'Zhikr' (Quran), and, absolutely, we will preserve it."
15:9

These words proclaim God's promise to preserve the Quran. We do not read anywhere
else in the Quran that God would preserve the personal sayings of the messenger. In
actual fact, God did not preserve His Own previous scripture (Torah and Injeel), why
would He preserve the human words of one of His servants? Is God elevating His servant
to be a legislating god besides Him when God tells us that the SOLE duty of the
messenger is to deliver His message?

But that is not all, we are told in the Quran that anything which is not from God would
ultimately contain many contradictions and corruptions:

"If it were from other than God, they would have found in it numerous contradictions."
4:82

Despite these clear ayat, the followers of hadith have made claims that their cherished
hadith books (primarily Bukhari and Muslim) are fully authentic (Sahih) and without
corruption!

Do they not believe God's words in 15:9 and 4:82?

6- The command to follow the Quran and nothing else:

In the Quran God commands all believers to follow the Quran Alone, this command is
found in numerous verses, the following are examples:

"These are God's revelations that We recite to you truthfully. In which Hadith other than
God and His revelations do they believe?" 45:6
"Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book
fully detailed?"6:114

This clear command once again confirms that obeying the messenger is confined to
obeying the "message" he delivered from God (Quran) and nothing else.

7- Are we commanded to follow the Sunna of Muhammad?

The followers of hadith and Sunna use a corrupted meaning of 33:21 to imply that we
should follow the methodology of the messenger and thus we need to follow his Sunna!

To expose the corruption and manipulation in such claim, let us first read 33:21

"The messenger of God has set up a good example for those among you who seek God
and the Last Day, and constantly think about God." 33:21

From these words we note that God is very specific in describing the capacity in which
the prophet has set a good example. The good example lies in his constant thinking of
God and how he sought God and the last day.

Sadly, the worshippers of hadith and Sunna have reduced this glorious ayat so as to imply
that we should eat as the prophet ate, sleep as he did and even enter the toilet with the
same foot which he used!!! .... this is among many other ridiculous do's and do not's that
fill the books of hadith.

To make the issue undisputable, God has told us in the Quran that the only Sunna is the
Sunna of God. No where in the Quran is there any mention of the Sunna of
Muhammad!!!!

"You will find that the Sunna of Allah is the only Sunna" (33:62....35:43.....48:23)

8- Was the messenger authorised by God to issue any teachings besides the Quran?

God asserts to all believers that prophet Muhammad was commanded not to teach any
other teachings, otherwise he would incur severe punishment from God:

"It (the Quran) is a revelation from the Lord of the universe. Had he (Muhammad) uttered
any other teachings, We would have grabbed him by the right, and We would have
severed his Wateen (Major artery of the heart), none of you could have helped
him."69:43-47
Those who insist that the prophet left us a second source of religious law (hadith) are
either accusing the prophet of disobeying God's commands in 69:43-47, or do not really
understand the Quran.

9- The instructions left by the prophet

In accordance to 6:114, 69:43-47 and many other clear cut ayat, prophet Muhammad
himself commanded his people not to write his own hadith, this is documented in Muslim
and other books:

"Do not write down anything of me except the Quran. Whoever writes other than that
should delete it" (Ahmed, Vol. 1, page 171.....also Sahih Muslim)

For the first 200 years after the death of the prophet, and in accordance with his
instructions, the writing of his hadith was forbidden. The first one to document a
comprehensive collection of hadith was Al-Bukhari (Note that Al-Bukhari was born in
the year 194 After Hijrah).

Even if we were to follow the hadith (which we are not), how accurate can a collection of
sayings documented two centuries after the death of the prophet be?

The peculiar matter here is that the followers of hadith do not wish to obey the Quran nor
do they want to obey the instructions left by the prophet! In their blind and stubborn
adherence to the tales told by the likes of such narrators as Abu Huraira and others they
make an astonishingly ridiculous claim. They claim that the prophet issued these
instructions (not to write his hadith) only in the first period of revelation and only
because he was worried that his hadith would be mixed up with the Quran! They add that
these instructions were cancelled in his later years! Well, if that was the case, why did
they wait two whole centuries before documenting the hadith? Did it take two centuries
to prepare a copy of the Quran that did not have hadith mixed with it!!!

Moreover, by saying this ridiculous claim (that the prophet was afraid that his hadith
would be mixed up with the Quran) they once again show their ignorance with the Quran.
In Sura 75 we are assured that God would secure the safe collection of the Quran:

"It is WE who will collect it into Quran." 75:17

This promise from God about the safe collection of the Quran, plus the promise in 15:9
for the preservation of the Quran reduces the claim of the hadith followers (that the
prophet was worried that his words would get mixed up with the Quran) to utter
nonesense. It is either they do not believe God or they do not believe the prophet's trust in
God's ability!
10- Did the prophet really follow other than the Quran?

The answer to this question is decisively dealt with in the Quran. We read:

"Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming previous scriptures, and
superseding them. You shall rule among them in accordance with God's revelations, and
do not follow their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you" 5:48

God's command to the prophet to follow what was revelaed to him (Quran) is loud and
clear. The importance of this command is emphasised as the same words "You shall rule
among them in accordance with God's revelations" are repeated in ayat 49.

If we are to follow the prophet we must thus follow what he was commanded to follow,
and that is the Holy Quran.
Glorifying Mohammed
This very common phrase (AL-SALAT ALA AL-NABI and AL-TASLEEM) derives
from the following verse:

"God and His angels ‘Yossalloon ala al Nabi’, O you believers you shall ‘Salloo alayhee’
and ‘Sallemoo tasleema’." (33/56)

Since this is a clear command from God, we must surely obey it. However, and before
obeying this command we must first understand the meaning of it. We notice that the
verse contained two commands, the ‘Salla ala al Nabi’ and the ‘Tasleem’.

First we should inspect the present interpretation of these words among Muslims today,
then we must find out whether this interpretation is in line with the one contained in the
Quran. To do this, the easiest method is to ask any Muslim as to what is the meaning of
the simple and widely spoken words ‘Salli ala al Nabi’.

Strangely enough, when most Muslims are asked as to what these words mean they are
not really sure! The reader is welcomed to try this himself.

The simple question asked is:

‘When you say ‘Salli ala al Nabi’ what do you really mean? Are you praising the
prophet? Are you imploring him so that he may intercede on your behalf on judgment
day, are you praying God to grant the prophet His highest mercy? or what?

Sadly this widely repeated phrase has become a number of things except the one thing
that it was really meant to be! For one thing it has become a means to break up
arguments! If two Muslims get involved in a heated argument you would find one of
them saying to the other:

"Why don’t you ‘tesallee ala al Nabi’?"!!!

Similarly if one Muslim is about to ask a favor of the other he often starts with the same
words: "Sallee ala al Nabi", after which he would get into what he really means to say!

We must pose here and wonder, is the aim behind Allah’s command (Sura 33, verse 56)
is to provide us with an effective tool to break up arguments or to facilitate the obtaining
of favors from one another?!! Obviously not! The verse informs us that God and his
angels do the same ‘Salla ala al Nabi’, but surely God does not get in heated arguments
with anyone nor does He ask favors from anyone!

If the common Muslim has not made up his mind as to the meaning of the words he
repeats many times a day, what then is the opinion of the ‘Moffasereen’ (the
interpreters)?
First they will say that God has exclusively honored Muhammad when He said :

"God and His angels Yossalloon ala al Nabi (for the prophet)"

Immediately, their claim is exposed by Quranic evidence. In the Quran we read that God
and His angels do the same to all believers and not just to the prophet:

"He is the one who ‘Yessallee alaikom’ (for the believers) and His angels, to deliver you
out of darkness into the light" (33/43)

we also read :

"These (the believers) have deserved ‘Sallawat’ from their Lord and mercy, they are the
guided ones." (2/157) …… again the same meaning,

but the matter does not end there, in Sura 9 we find God commanding the prophet to do
the same for the believers :

"Take from their money a charity to purify them and sanctify them, and ‘Salli alaihom’
for your ‘Sallawat’ reassures them. God is Hearer, Omniscient." (9/103)

Now if this verb ‘Yessalli’ is done by Allah to the believers, also by the prophet to the
believers, how can the interpreters say that it is an exclusive honor bestowed by God on
the prophet?!!!

To wiggle out of this tricky situation the interpreters have fabricated a ridiculous excuse.
They claim that the word ‘Sallawat’ has no less than five different meanings!!

1- First they will say that when God does the ‘Sallat’ to the prophet it means honoring
exclusively.

2- When God does the ‘Sallat’ to the believers it means granting them His mercy.

3- When the angels do the ‘Sallat’ to the prophet it means constantly praising him.

4- When the angels do the ‘Sallat’ to the believers, or when the prophet does it for the
believers, it is in the sense of imploring God’s mercy for them.

5- When the believers do the ‘Sallat’ to the prophet it is a sign of loving him and
following him.

If the word (Sallat) in the Quran can have all these meanings then the Quran is indeed a
collection of ambiguous puzzles!
To believe that God may say one simple word and imply five different meanings is to
imply that the Quran is vague and crooked! The important fact is that after all that, and as
it turns out, none of these five meanings is correct! To verify that let us study the use of
the word ‘Sallat’ in the Quran. Immediately we find that the word ‘Sallat’ has been
mentioned in the Quran in two different context :

a- The ‘Sallat’ for Allah, which is an act of worship, as used in the following verse :

"I am God; there is no other God beside Me, Thus you shall worship me and observe the
‘Sallat’ to commemorate Me." (20/14)

b- The ‘Sallat’ of the prophet on the believers or of the believers on the prophet as
mentioned in previous verses.

The difference between the two uses of the same word all depends on the letter or the
word that comes immediately after the word ‘Sallat’.

The word ‘Sallat’ is either followed by the Arabic letter ‘L’ which means (to, for) as in:

"……..observe the ‘Sallat’ to commemorate Me." (Sura 20, verse 14)

This first use, means the act of prayer, which is done exclusively for God.

The word ‘Sallat’ can also be followed by the Arabic word ‘Ala’ which means (on) as in
all the previous verses.

Now, if ‘Sallat for’ means the act of worship of God, what is the meaning of the word
‘Sallat on’ as the one done for the prophet or the believers?

Before we analyze this second meaning, which has been the cause of all the corruption,
we must first clarify a vital point. Consider the following example:

A father tells his son:

‘Like I wash my face, you too wash your face.’

The logic of this simple sentence suggests that since the father does one thing and asks
the son to do it as well, then it implies that the same action done by the father is done by
the son. It is not logical to assume that the father means to say:

‘When I wash my face I mean to wipe my face with water but when you wash your face
my son it means you should wash your feet!!’
Going back to (Sura 33, verse 56), and since the two verbs (Yossalloon and Salloo) are
used in the same verse, without any insinuation of a change in meaning, then by logic
they must have the same meaning.

Consequently, when God informs us that He and the angels (Yossalloon ala al Nabi), then
in the same sentence commands us to do the same, we must understand that it is of the
same meaning.

Here we reach the heart of the matter. What is the meaning of (Sallat ala al Nabi) that can
be done by God and by the believers equally? The same thing that is done by God must
be done by the believers, as per the previous example.

First, and to give the interpreters the benefit of the doubt, let us look at the five different
meanings they have suggested for the word ‘Sallat ala al Nabi’ and try to find out if any
of these meanings can possibly be done by God and also by the believers :

1- God bestowing honor on His servant:

This can be done by God to any of His servants, but it is not in the authority of any
human to honor another human on behalf of God.

2- To grant mercy:
Again this may only be done by God to any of His servants, all humans are themselves
in need of God’s mercy, they do not have it within them to grant one another God’s
mercy.

3- To constantly praise: God is too exalted ( Al Moutaali ) and proud ( Al Moutakaber)

than to constantly sing the praises of any of those He has created. On the other hand, the
Quran teaches the believers that the only one worthy of constant praise is God.

4- To implore God’s mercy:

This may be done by believers but it does not make sense for God to implore Himself.

5- As a sign of following someone:

Again may not be done by God be exalted. He does not follow anyone.

From this brief analysis it is clear that some of these interpretations may be done by God,
while others may be done by human beings but there is not one interpretation that could
apply to God and human beings equally. What then is the correct meaning of these
words?

The only meaning for the words ‘Sallat ala al Nabi’ that is found in the Quran and that
can apply to God, His angels and to the believers alike is to ‘support the prophet’. God
and His angels indeed support the prophet and by the same token God commands the
believers to support His prophet. This correct meaning is confirmed by Quranic verses :

1- God supports His prophet :

"We have bestowed upon you (O Muhammad) a great victory, whereby God forgives
your past sins, as well as future sins, and perfects His blessings on you, and guides you in
a straight path. Additionally, God will support you with an unwavering support." (48/1-3)

2- The angels commanded by God to support the prophet :

"Your Lord supports you with three thousand angels, sent down (to support
you)." (3/124)

3- Believers commanded to support the prophet of God :

"(You shall give) to the needy who immigrated. They were evicted from their homes and
deprived of their properties, because they sought God’s grace and pleasure, and because
they supported God and His messenger. They are the sincere ones." (59/8)

"If you fail to support him (the prophet), God has already supported him. Thus when the
disbelievers chased, him and he was one of two in the cave, he said to his friend, ‘Do not
worry, God is with us’, God then sent contentment and security upon him, and supported
him with invisible soldiers." (9/40)

"Those who believe in him (the prophet), respect him, SUPPORT HIM and follow the
light (the Quran) that was sent down with him are the truly successful ones." (7/157)

It is clear from these verses that God commands believers to do three things regarding
His prophet :

1- To believe in him.

2- To support him.

3- To obey and follow his message (the Quran).

Thus the correct meaning of the words ‘Sallat ala al Nabi’ is to support the prophet. Since
the prophet is now dead and no longer with us then it is not possible to support him
personally. The support now is directed to his message which is the Quran.

With that correct meaning of the word, it is right to think that when God ‘Yessallee ala al
Momeneen’ it means He supports them and guides them out of the darkness. This
meaning is indeed confirmed in the verse :

"He is the one who ‘Yessallee alaikom’ (supports you), together with His angels, to lead
you out of the darkness into the light." (33/43)
Similarly when God and His angels ‘Yessalloo ala al Nabi’ it is in the sense that He
supports the prophet together with His angels. God does not go around repeating the
words ‘Sallee ala al Nabi’, ‘Sallee ala al Nabi’ !!!

Similarly when the prophet ‘Yessalle ala al Momeneen’ (believers), as God commanded
him in (Sura 9, verse 103), it is in the sense, that is he is to support them. Obviously
God’s command to His prophet in this verse does not mean that the prophet should go
around saying ‘Sallee ala Zeid’, ‘Sallee ala Ali’, ‘Sallee ala Belal’ !!

It is important here to inspect some of the ‘hadith’ that are related to the ‘Sallat ala al
Nabi’ and verify their agreement with the Quran.

One of the very famous ‘hadith’ goes that the prophet said that whoever does not
‘Yessallee ala al Nabi’ will not attain the prophet’s ‘Shafa’a’ (intercession) on judgment
day. Various other ‘hadith’ indicate that the prophet emphasised his wish that the
believers should say these words for him. Here we must wonder, did the prophet really
ask this of the believers? And if not why? As stressed earlier in this book, the verification
of any concept, saying or ritual must be based on whether this concept is in agreement
with the Quran or not.

To verify these ‘hadith’ let us first read the following verses :

"Do not ask them for a return, you simply deliver this reminder for all the
people." (12/104)

"I have not asked you for any return. My return comes only from God. I have been
commanded to be a submitter." (10/72)

"Say I do not ask you for any return" (38/86)

These verses assert the fact that the prophet never asked the believers for anything in
return for delivering God’s message to them. It is indeed far more respectful to think of
the prophet as he who’s mission was much more noble than to go around saying do this
for me or do that (e.g. if you do not visit my grave I will not intercede for you, and if you
do not ‘Tessallo alaya’ I will not do that for you ......etc.)

Another of the cherished ‘hadith’ implies that the prophet instructed Muslims to say a
specific prayer for him. The words of this prayer are as follows :

‘Aaty (grant) Sayedna (our Master/Lord) Muhammad the way, the virtue and the highest
degree and deliver him to the praise worthy status that You promised him, You do not
break Your promises.’

This simple everyday prayer contains various violations of the teachings of the Quran:
1- To believe that the prophet has asked the believers to do something for him is in
violation of the previous Quranic verses that command the prophet to ask for no return
whatsoever from the believers. The only return he will receive will be from God.

2- It is indeed wrong in the sight of God to call anyone our Lord except He.

"Or have they set up other Lords besides Him, God is the only Lord and Master" (42/9)

3- The one who uses such a prayer is the one who either never read the Quran or has read
it but does not really believe it! This is because Sura 48 confirms that God has informed
the prophet that He has forgiven him all his sins, past and future :

"We have bestowed upon you (O Muhammad) a great victory, whereby God forgives
your past, as well as future sins." (48/1-2)

What this great sign of mercy from God to his prophet means is that Muhammad is
secured the highest reward in the hereafter (since he is forgiven all his sins). As a result,
no prayer could elevate his position any higher (since there is none better than he who has
been forgiven all sins in advance!).

4- The words ‘you do not break your promises’, are to say the least insulting to God. The
utterance of these words can only mean that whoever speaks them is not really sure if
God will keep His promise and that a small reminder will come handy !!

Instead, when a true believer reads in the Quran that God has forgiven the prophet all his
sins, will consider the matter a closed one. He will not need to remind God of His
promises.

If this is the correct meaning of the words ‘Sallat ala al Nabi’, then what is the meaning
of the word ‘Tasslleem’ as in ‘Wa sallemoo tasleema’ (Sura 33, verse 56)?

Sadly, the corrupted interpreters have found another corrupted meaning to these words as
well. They claim that these words are a command from God to salute the prophet and
send him our greetings! This is based on their false interpretation of the word ‘Tasleema’
to mean greetings!

This is contrary to the meaning of the word in the Quran as will be demonstrated, but
before doing that we must consider all similar words to ‘Tasleem’ that are used in the
Quran.

1- Islam: Which means submission to the will of God as in:

"The only religion approved by God is Islam" (3/19)

"Anyone who adopts other than Islam as his religion, it will not be accepted from him,
and in the Hereafter he will be with the losers.’ (3/85)
2- Salam: Which means greetings as in:

"Do not say to the one who offers you Salam (greetings), ‘You are not a
believer....." (4/94)

3- Salm: Which is the opposite of war as in:

"If they are inclined towards Salm (peace), then so shall you and put your trust in God.
He is the Hearer, the Omniscient." (8/61)

4- Saleem: Which means without defects as in:

"That is the day when neither money nor children will be of any use, only the ones who
come to God with a heart that is Saleem (without defects, pure) (will be
saved)." (26/88-89)

5- Istisllam: Which means surrender as in:

"Stop them and ask them, ‘How come you do not help one another?’ On that day they
will be Mostaslemoon (in total surrender)." (37/25-26)

6- Soullaman : Which means a ladder as in:

"And if their rejection gets to be too much for you, you should know that even if you dug
a tunnel through the earth, or climbed a Soullama (ladder) into the sky, and produced a
miracle for them (they still would not believe)...." (6/35)

7- Tasleem: Which means recognition and acceptance.

As in the subject of this search (33:56)

It is noteworthy to mention that the word ‘Taslleem’ is found in only three verses in the
Quran, and in all three verses it means to recognize and endorse:

"Never indeed, by your Lord; they are not believers until they come to you to judge in
their disputes, then have no objection to your judgment and ‘Yessallemoo
Taslleema’ (totally accepting and endorsing it)." (4/65)

His messenger had promised us, indeed God and His messenger have been truthful. All
this strengthened their Iman and Taslleem (faith and recognition)." (33/22)

"God and His angels ‘Yessalloo ala al Nabi’ (support him). O you who believe you shall
‘Salloo alayhee’ (support him) and Sallemoo Taslleema , ( fully recognize him and accept
him as the messenger of God)." (33/56)
A very simple and effective way of proving that the word ‘Tasslleem’ means recognition
and not greetings as the corrupters would have us believe, is to substitute each of these
two words, first (recognition), then (greetings) in place of the word ‘Tasslleem’ in each of
the previous verses and see which one of the two words make more sense.

Let us start with the word greetings:

- ".........they are not believers until they come to you to judge in their disputes, then have
no objection to your judgment and greetings" !!

- ".....indeed God and His messenger have been truthful. All this strengthened their Iman
and greetings" !!!!!

It is obvious that the substitution of the word greetings in these verses makes no sense
whatsoever. However if we insert the word recognition in place of ‘Tasslleem’ all three
verses will make perfect sense.

The correct meaning of verse 56 of Sura 33 is thus:

"God and His angels support the prophet, O you who believe you too shall support him
and fully recognize and accept him (as the prophet of God)."

Indeed it makes perfect sense that God should command the believers to support His
prophet and totally accept him rather than to be primarily concerned in people going
around saying (Sallee ala al Nabi) without understanding what it really means and
sending our greeting to the prophet who is dead and can no longer hear us, (see Sura 35,
verse 14).

However, the corrupters have come up with the most absurd scenario to justify the need
to constantly greet the prophet. They claim that the prophet is alive in his grave, that he
can see us when we visit his grave, that he hears us when we greet him and actually
replies to our greetings!!

This absurd fabrication is once again in contradiction to various Quranic verses.

FIRST

Indeed the prophet is alive, however he is definitely not in his grave but up somewhere in
the kingdom of God. This is confirmed by various verses that indicate that the righteous
are not dead but are alive and prosperous in God’s Kingdom.

SECOND

The prophet does not return the greetings simply because the Quran affirms that those
who died cannot hear us, and thus cannot respond to us:
"Those you call on other than Him (your Lord) do not possess as much as a seed’s shell.
If you call on them they cannot hear you. Even if they heard you they cannot respond to
you...." (35/13-14)

The Quran states that a barrier separates the dead from the living :

"A barrier will separate them from this world till the day they are resurrected." (23/100)

For all that, the correct meaning of (Sura 33, verse 56) is:

"God and His angels support the prophet, O you who believe, you too shall support him
and fully recognize and accept him (as the prophet of God)."

This accurate and precise meaning is asserted and authenticated in the following verse:

"Those who believe in him (the prophet), and respect him, and support him, and follow
the light (the Quran) that was brought down with him, those are the truly successful
ones." (7/157)

This verse includes all that God commanded us to do for the prophet :

1- To believe in him, which corresponds to (Sallemoo Tasleema) in 33:56

2- To support him which correspond to (Salloo Alayhee) in the same verse.

3- To obey him (to follow the message that was revealed to him, which is the Quran).

This is what God commands any people to do for their prophet, whether they are the
people of Moses, Jesus or Muhammad.

The importance of this last verse is profound since it exposes the corrupted interpretation
of three prime concepts :

1- ‘Sallemmo Tasllemma’ is a command from God to the believers to recognize and

believe in His prophet, it is not a command from God for them to send him greetings!!!

2- ‘Salloo Alayhee’ is a command from God to the believers to support His prophet, it is
not a command to the believers to go around like parrots repeating ‘Salli ala al Nabi’
without even knowing what it means!

3- To obey the prophet is a command from God to the believers to follow the light
(Quran) that He has revealed to His prophet (7:157), it is not a command to follow that
which is falsely attributed to the prophet, and called his Sunna, and which was never
mentioned in the Quran, not even once!

The only Sunna authorized in the Quran is the Sunna of God.

Was Prophet Mohammed Illiterate?
Muslim scholars and the entire Muslim world will tell us that prophet Mohammed was an
illiterate man who could not read or write. They tell you this information to make the
miracle of the Quran sound even more miraculous disregarding that such statements
create some obvious questions:

- According to historians, the prophet Mohammed encouraged his followers to learn to

read and write and teach others the same so as to spread knowledge throughout the world.
How is it that a man who led by example never learnt to read and write himself?.

- The Quran was transmitted to us through the prophet Mohammed’s own lips over a
period of 23 years. Is it conceivable that the man who was in contact with God’s words
and who was careful to have them written down and copied never bothered to learn to
read what he was having written?.

- The prophet Mohammed was reputed to be a skilful tradesman, having done some
successful enterprises for his first wife “Khadija”. Any student of history knows that
numbers as we know them weren’t developed until decades after the prophet’s death. All
trade was done with letters having numeric values (A=1, B=2, G=3, D=4, H=5, etc..).
How could the prophet be a successful trader without knowing the letters?.

Although the above questions may seem obvious to any rationale human being, they do
not appear so to those who have engulfed themselves in fabricated tales where truth and
deception mix. The case that Islamic scholars use to prove that the prophet Mohammed
was illiterate is the use of the word “Ummy” in the Quran when referring to the prophet.
The scholars have said that “Ummy” means “Illiterate” and that God is the one who
supports this story.

Let us look at ALL the verses in the Quran which use the word “Ummy”:

“…and tell those who have received the scriptures and the Ummien have you submitted?
…” (3/20)

“And from the people of the scriptures are those whom if you entrust him with an ounce
he will return it to you, and those whom if you entrust him with a Dinar he will not return
it to you unless you are persistent, that is because they said: We have no obligation to the
Ummien, and they say upon God falsehood while they are fully aware“(3/75)

“The ones who follow the Ummy messenger prophet whom they find written in their
Torah and Gospel…” (7/157)

“And from them are Ummien who do not know the scriptures except wishes and they
only follow conjecture” (2/78)
“He is the One Who sent to the Ummien a messenger from amongst them…” (62/2)

“…believe in God and His messenger the Ummy prophet who believes in
God…” (7/158)

For the sake of clarity I have kept the word “Ummy” in its original form without
translating it so the reader may draw his/her own conclusions. If we, as the Islamic
scholars have previously done, use the word “Illiterate”, then we get some strange and
non-sensible verses.

The Arabs of Mecca were very well known for their strength in poetry and their deep
grasp of the Arabic language. These people were neither Jews nor Christians, but they
believed that they followed the religion of Abraham.

Since the Arab’s were never recipients of any heavenly scripture then they could be
correctly described as “Gentiles”, and since the prophet Mohammed was raised from
amongst the Arabs then he too was a “Gentile” before receiving the scriptures.

Therefore, a more accurate translation of the word "Ummy" would be "Gentile" since a
gentile is a term used on any who have not received the scriptures, which is exactly what
the Arabs were, and NOT "Illiterate" as people would have us believe.
Did Abraham Tell a Lie?

- Ibrahim broke the Idols and then lied about it, how true is this concept?
- He placed the axe on the shoulder of the big idol to shift accountability, right?
- Also, he gave false evidence to the priests, right?
- Then he blamed the chief idol, you agree?
- He recognized the power of the idols - they can work, think, act and quarrel, right?
- Ibrahim is such a dishonest prophet! Right?

Lets find out the truth!

Ibrahim(pbu) is one of the most prominent prophets of Islam. Allah(swt) addressed him
as 'friend'. He is the chief architect to build the original Kaba. The religion Islam
inherited so many things directly from him. Many scholars say that he founded the
religion Islam in the first place. The very ritual of animal sacrifice at the time of Id-ul-
Adha is based on the incidence pertaining to Ibrahim(pbu). Most of the rituals of annual
Hajj is based on commemorating prophet Ibrahim(pbu). Other than our very own prophet
Muhammad(pbuh), he is the only prophet who we Muslims mention in each prayer. We
seek to Allah(swt) to bless us as He blessed the followers of prophet Ibrahim(pbu).

Ironically, many Muslims derive immense pleasure when they knowingly and
unknowingly denigrate such a great prophet. These Muslims derive satisfaction when
they claim that this great prophet practiced wrong doings. Due to our sheer ignorance,
these Muslims see many of our prophets as cheat, liar, supporter of idolatry, instigator of
shirk and guilty of many other crimes.

Did Ibrahim(pbu) tell lies?

Most of the Muslims have come to accept that Ibrahim(pbu) used to tell lies. They
believe that according to records, he told lies in three major occasions! They gather false
or weak Hadith to support their ignorant claims, they gather endorsement by
contemporary scholars who also think Ibrahim(pbu) told lies. Most Muslims accept the
pronouncement of these scholars on its face value and never question if such a great
prophet could ever do such a crime. These Muslims read one or two incorrect translations
and think well, the Quran says Ibrahim(pbu) lied. Whereas, in reality the Quran never
said that Ibrahim(pbu) lied. It is these scholars of Islam who are acting dishonestly and
falsifying the truth. They are suggesting that telling occasional lies are accepted norm of
Islam. Prophets did it!!!! The Quran specifically tells in verse 3:161 that no prophet could
act dishonesty.
3:161 No prophet could (ever) act dishonestly if any person acts dishonestly he shall, on
the Day of judgement, restore what he misappropriated..... (Yusuf Ali's translation)

We know the incidence of Idol breaking by prophet Ibrahim(pbu). Time and again we
have heard stories of how he broke the idols with an axe, sleazy details of how he placed
the axe on the shoulder of a big idol. Then when he was questioned, how he told the
audience that he did not break the idols, rather the big idol broke the smaller ones!

These scholars invented various sections and sub sections of self made injunctions to
declare that under certain circumstances it is permissible to tell lies! You will find
lengthy writing by such scholars whereby they justify and mystify Ibrahim's lies. They
will argue with you saying how could Ibrahim(pbu) tell the truth in front of the audience
who would have killed him if he told the truth! So according to them it was OK when he
resorted to falsification for the sake of truth!

Will someone answer if he could not tell the truths in front of an audience why was he a
prophet in the first place? What kind of a prophet was he who preached falsehood and
lies rather than the Truth? Was he preaching Islam mixed with falsehood and lies,
because he was afraid of crowds?

Analysis of verse 21:63

Verse 21:63 is the only place in the Quran where the events leading to Ibrahim(pbu)
breaking the idols are described. First let us critically analyze the verse and understand
the meaning of each of the words in the sentence.

Qala: He said
Bal: But, of course, by all means, indeed, rather
F'alahu: (passive participle) someone did it
Kabiruhum: The big one of them
Haza: This
F'asaalu hum: Ask them, question them
In: If
Kaanu yantiqun: They can speak, they can talk,

It is very important to note that there is a small punctuation mark signifying pause (waqf)
in the sentence right after 'Qaala bal f'aalahu'. According to Arabic grammar, the meaning
of the punctuation (waqf) is much like comma (,) usage in English. This sign alone or in
combination of circle or other word means a very brief pause. The reader may pause here
briefly, but is recommended to continue with the sentence. The sign simply demarcates
one part of the sentence from the other in bringing out the meaning. If this sign means
absolutely nothing, why is it inserted here? Why is the sentence not like another sentence
where the sign is not at all there? Obviously, the insertion of the sign bears some
significance. Strangely enough, the under-mentioned scholars refuse to pause or
acknowledge the presence of this punctuation mark, rather they want to pause at a
different place of their choice.

Samples of Incorrect Translations

Here are some examples of famous commentators who became victims of wrong
translation. If you do not see names of other familiar commentators of the Qur-an here,
most likely they have translated this verse correctly.

Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan:

(Abraham) said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it. Ask them if they can
speak!"

Yusuf Ali:

He said: "Nay, this was done by this The biggest one! Ask them if they can talk."

Rashad Khalifa:

He said, "It is the big one who did it. Go ask them, if they can speak."

J.M. Rodwell:

He said: "Nay, that their chief hath done it; but ask ye them, if they can speak."

T.B. Irving:

He said, "Rather the biggest one of them did it. Ask them if they are able to speak up."

Ahmad Ali:

"No", he said, "It was done by that chief of theirs. Ask him in case they can speak."

Muhammad Sarwar:

I think the biggest one of them has broken the smaller ones. Ask them if they are able to
speak.
N.J. Dawood:

'No', re replied, 'It was their chief who smote them. Ask them if they can speak.'

Muhammad Asad:

He answered: "Nay, it was this one, the biggest of them, that did it; but ask them
[yourselves] - provided they can speak."

Pickthall:

He said: But this, their chief hath done it. So question them, if they can speak.

Ibrahim did not reply saying "No"

When Ibrahim(pbu) was asked whether he broke the idols, his reply was very tactful.
Neither did he say 'Yes', nor did he say 'No'. His answer was passive "someone did it."
This "someone" could be him, another person or the big idol or just anybody. There was
no dearth of truth that someone truly did it. Instead of asking him, he wanted the audience
to ask the victims directly. Let the victims testify if they can. The audience realized that
these idols that they think as their gods, couldn't even protect themselves! How on earth
these idols can be their gods! They realized futility of idol worshipping.

Yusuf Ali, Hilali & Khan, Ahmad Ali, Asad, Dawood and Rodwell used the word "No"
or "Nay" - to mean that Ibrahim(pbu) flatly denied that he broke the idols. In the Arabic
verse 21:63 there is no word that would mean "Nay". So how on earth these
commentators found this negation? What are they trying to justify? The verse does not
say Ibrahim(pbu) blamed the biggest idol. If he said "No" - that is a lie, if he said the
biggest idol broke it, that is another lie. So it is a lie upon a lie. Some commentators made
him lie once, some twice. But all of them made him guilty of several other offences in
addition to telling lies. How did the scholars commit such a major mistake? The answer is
simple:

1st , they ignored the punctuation sign,

2nd, they changed the position of words in the Arabic verse,
3rd, they changed the grammar of the Arabic verse,
4th, or they blindly followed the interpretation of Ibn Kathir et. al., without critically
analyzing the verse
5th, and most likely these scholars were influenced by the oft-repeated story of Ibrahim
telling lies
All the commentators translated the verse as: Bal haza kabiruhum fa'lahu. According to
them the meaning of this transposed verse is:

Rather/No, This big one of them did it.

This translation is grammatically not correct to the Arabic words. Fa'lahu, a passive
participle, does not mean "did it" - rather "someone did it".

Why a wrong interpretation?

The wrong interpretation evolved due to a "minor" mistake made by earlier scholars. This
small mistake slowly gathered more dirt as time passed by. Ibn-Kathir and some other
tafseer understood it in the wrong way. Yusuf Ali, Rodwell and Pickthall understood it
that way without applying reasoning. The later day commentators simply followed them
blindly. The result is that these contemporary commentators changed the words of Allah!
Close attention to the verse 21:63 reveals that there is no word that would mean "No" or
"Nay". We all regard Ibn-Kathir as a great commentator of the Quran. However, he was
no more than a human being - he was subject to err like any other human being. Contrary
to the verse 3:161, the conventional interpretation of the idol-breaking incidence suggest
prophets can act dishonestly. It would be wrong to ascribe unquestionable authority on
Ibn Kathir et.al. It would be wrong to perceive him as infallible. If his commentary goes
against teachings of the Quran, we must give importance to the Quran and not his or any
other commentary.

The Quran does not say Ibrahim(pbu) used an axe to break the idols. He could have
broken those fragile idols by hand, by smashing them on the floor or by striking them
with any object. Use of an 'axe' was probably invented to bring in some ferocity in the
prophet's temper and action. The Quran does not say the infamous 'axe' was placed on the
shoulder of the biggest idol. This is another invention of the story-tellers. Benefit of
doubt may be given to the use of an 'axe' , but Ibrahim never ever placed the axe on the
shoulder of the biggest idol.

Just a Lie? Or More Serious Offence?

In order to validate the conventional understanding and one weak (false!) Hadith, should
we still accuse Ibrahim(pbu) of false statement? Is this just a lie or is there other serious
offence in here? Many people incessantly tried to justify that Ibrahim could tell lies, or it
is permissible to tell lies under certain circumstances. The moment we put the word "No"
in Ibrahim's(pbu) mouth, we are making him culprit of several other grave offence as
under:
 1. Ibrahim(pbu) is telling an outright lie. A lie is a lie is a lie.
2. When Ibrahim(pbu) blamed the biggest idol, he is avoiding accountability by
blaming a third person (object).
3. When asked if he broke the idols, Ibrahim(pbu) is giving a false deposition in front
of the gathering.
4. By admitting that the biggest idol broke the smaller ones, Ibrahim(pbu) is standing a
false witness.
5. Ibrahim(pbu) being a staunch critique of idol worshipping, at least at that moment
admitted that biggest idol has ability to act and do things that idols cannot do. This is
nothing but supporting idolatory.

Will any civilized society and nation of past and present accept false witness, false
deposition, lies, shifting accountability etc as acceptable practice? Is any of this
acceptable practice in Islam? Does Islam teach us these crimes? If you commit any of
these crimes, will Allah forgive you? You tell me.