Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| jaihoon |
| 01/17/02 at 22:32:18 |
[slm] I received this email from a friend of mine who is studying in Indian college. he is desperate to get answers for them. I request anyone on this board to share their knowledge about these issues or provide sources where further info. can be found. It seems the questioners do have access to net etc. jazak Allah Khair ------------------------------------------ hi, the following are a few questions put forward to my friend by non-muslims , u have to give proper answers because these are non-muslims that we are giving answers to. Pls send answers, even if its just one, or two, just send me them as u get them, one after, in the order u get it, because the sooner i answer, the better. "The questions: 1. How can God say that it is ok to kill in His name? 2. a woman's allegations against a man is not considered unless she has (1 or 2) male witnesses? 3. Husband can divorce wife, but wife cannot divorce husband? 4. the concept of marrying more than once was Muhammeds own idea and because he wanted it, he made it a rule and that God definitely could not have said such a thing. 5. About going to paradise and having the soo many virgin women waiting to serve you.....wouldn't any man run for something like that???How can God make such a statement? 6. About cutting the hand which steals..isn't that going to extremes? 7. About not being allowed to make friends with non-muslims(Surah5.51). Doesn't that show intolerance towards other religions? (It says not to be in the company of christians and jews for then we become like them...) 8. Bible says that anyone who does not accept Jesus as the 'Son of God' is going against God and is lead by satan.....and sooo....Islam 9. It seems the Bible also warns the coming of a new religion which denies Christ and will spread around the world and one should not go for that 'cause it is against the will of God. Islam is that religion. 10. Jesus teaches about love and forgiveness and that is the most wonderful teachings of Christianity... islam does not follow such teachings of love.. 11. How can Muhammed, a mere mortal who married many wives(?) be trusted to be the last prophet of God when the Bible says that any additions to the Bible are wrong? 12. Creation took eight days, it says in Surah 41:9, 10, 12. Surah 10:3, however, states creation took six days.( Got this from a site..) 13. Surah 33-51, 33-52. they said they saw it on a page on the web. Read it.. I think these are all the questions they asked. The last one i happened to read and don't know how to think of it." |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| Kashif |
| 01/18/02 at 09:25:33 |
| assalaamu alaikum This should be posted to the Madrastaul-ilm i think. More people visit that than this folder i think. Kashif Wa Salaam |
| NS |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| akbalkhan |
| 01/18/02 at 14:11:56 |
| Wa Lakum as Salam, 1. How can God say that it is ok to kill in His name? I do not believe that God says its ok to kill(as an arbitrary statement), nor does God say that just because God's name in invoked in a death or killing that it is truly in God's name or accepted by God as such. (I am assuming that since this is coming from an Indian college that we are discussing the killing of animals for sustenance, and not necessarily Qatil or Jihad and the concept of war in God's name). Killing is a necessary component in the survival of any organism. Even vegetarians must 'kill' plants and organisms in the process of masticating and digesting them. As far as the spirit of a living being, I do not see crushing a flower because its beautiful any less repulsive than shooting a deer for sport. But Muslims believe in the laws and guidance given to Muhammad, SAWS, and it is in this guidance that we are permitted to eat of the flesh of animals ordained halal. The killing that is required for this sustenance, is one that, according to our belief, must be done in a humane way, alleviating for the animal as much as possible the circumstances of death. This must be done while saying, Bismillah..., or In the Name of Allah, in order for our intention of killing the animal, not to be taken as a death of sport, play, cruelty, auspice, or non-need filling act. It is not a requirement for Muslims to kill animals in order to eat, but it is a requirement to permit those things which God permits, and to forbid those things which God forbids. It is permitted to kill animals for food, with certain perscribed parameters, and it is forbidden to not allow the killing of halal animals for food. We believe as Muslims, that to forbid something that God has permitted, is to reject the commandment of God and to place oneself in direct opposition to God. 2. a woman's allegations against a man is not considered unless she has (1 or 2) male witnesses? This statement itself is misleading, though the question seems honest enough. To say that anyone's allegations are not 'considered' with regards to their gender being an issue, I think is a false perception of the Muslims code of law or Shariah. True, in Islamic traditions and in the Quran, the testimony of a woman requires at least one other woman's(or man's) affirmation in order to be equal to that of a man's. But for certain crimes the testimony of more than one man are needed as well. However, when we are talking about allegations, all are treated with the same investigations into matters of truth and with a priority of maintaining the good reputation and dignity of all concerned. No one, man or woman, may simply hurl allegations at another in Islamic law, but rather all attempts to ascertain the truth are followed provided the testimonies of all concerned, evidence or proof, corraborating testimony, and finally consultation of any precedent or rulings from among the sayings of the Prophet Muhammed, SAWS, or the Quran. 3. Husband can divorce wife, but wife cannot divorce husband? Their are Islamic traditions and an ayah of the Quran that state, the the man is a degree above the woman(in marriage?), but any party, wife or husband, can initiate a divorce, however, oftentimes the act of following the guidance of Islam by doing all that's possible to save the marriage, is perceived by some as a womans imprisonment, and this could not be further from the truth. Divorce, although lawful in Islam, is the most disliked of lawful things in the guidance of Allah SWT, so many measures must be taken to reconcile and ameliorate spousal differences, including forgiveness, in order to maintain a stable and healthy society. 4. the concept of marrying more than once was Muhammeds own idea and because he wanted it, he made it a rule and that God definitely could not have said such a thing. Actually many prophets and messengers, AS, had more than one wife, and Muahmmed, SAWS, certainly was not the first to do this. The point of taking more than one wife, is not to follow ones lusts or physical desires, but rather as a mercy to communities besieged with war or poverty, in which many men are dead, old, or too young to marry, whereby a man who is capable of taking care of a woman marries her and provided for her. Again, God has not made this mandatory in any way, but has made it permissable, so it must not be forbidden, as this is in opposition to the laws of God. 5. About going to paradise and having the soo many virgin women waiting to serve you wouldn't any man run for something like that. How can God make such a statement? Yes, every man should want to run towards that, but understand that the way to that is through right conduct and values in this life, which for men who would aim only for this benefit, is harder for them to accomplish with only this goal in mind, because it is our intentions in right conduct and belief that count. Sure, its a virtue to seek the reward and pleasure of Allah SWT, and we should count on these rewards, but do not be confused with the companionship of this life and that of the next. As far as I know, there is no lust, desire, or physical cravings as we know them in this life, so the image that virgin women raises on the surface is an inaccurate perception of what it may mean in the afterlife. But there are also the eternally vibrant young men with beaming faces for the women as well, we must not forget the rewards for men and women. 6. About cutting the hand which steals..isn't that going to extremes? One must understand that stealing has come to assume a less important status among crimes, as people in larger, more affluent cities, have come to acquire more possessions and the ability to access them. Stealing is a crime that robs a person of their right to what Allah SWT has provided for them, their family, and their well being. And in Islamic society, a persons blood(life), property, and family are sacred, meaning they are endowed to that person by the will of God. To steal this away from anyone in an Islamic society, again is to go against what Allah SWT has decreed for a person, and is to set ones self up in direct opposition to the laws of Allah SWT. Fortunately, for this crime, as with many, the punishment is not just to deform the thief, but to expiate their sin, for truly Muslims believe that the punishment for crimes in this life are far less severe than the punishment in the next life. God has decreed this as the punishment for stealing, and no human being(s) are capable of rightfully changing that law. 7. About not being allowed to make friends with non-muslims(Surah5.51). Doesn't that show intolerance towards other religions? (It says not to be in the company of christians and jews for then we become like them...) The translations of the Quran and thier commentary may differ slightly from scholar to scholar. Very generally, Muslims are not allowed to take as 'protectors' non-Muslims, its okay to be 'friends'. The danger is the tendency of people who spend the most time together to espouse the principles or actions of each other and for a Muslim to imitate the ways of non-Muslims is very discouraged, and in some cases prohibited. Making friends with non-Muslims is ok, in the sense that you are kind, concerned, familiar, and spend time talking to together. But it is very difficult to expect non-Muslims to respect the laws of adab with regard to how Muslims are ordered by God to act across gender and social lines. What may seem like friendly conversation by a non-Muslim with a neighbor, classmate, or coworker can be construed in radically different ways depending upon if there is anyone else with them, if they are in a secluded area of work, home or school, and other factors that could damage their reputation. So what started out innocent, could become damaging to a persons ability to find a spouse, avoid scandal, and most importantly to follow the ways of behaving that God has commanded. 8,9, and 10 all refer to passages in the Bible. As Muslims and people who believe in all sacred texts, we and non-Muslims historians as well, agree that the Bible as we know it today, is not an accurate or authentic tradition of Jesus, AS. Love is something that cannot be incorporated into society if their is no structure of law and obedience to the laws of Allah SWT. To say that love and forgiveness are not advocated in Islam is just not true, and signals to any Muslim, a general ignorance and bias about our religion in order for one to say this about it. 12. Creation took eight days, it says in Surah 41:9, 10, 12. Surah 10:3, however, states creation took six days.( Got this from a site..) I could not find a commentary that addressed this issue specifically, so if I may tell you to the best of my knowledge what the limit of my understanding is for these passages. I hold the belief that it was 6 days for creation based on Surah 10, because Allah SWT clearly states that it was done in 6 days. What I interpret in Surah 41 in not a discrepancy or contradiction, but an elaboration on the process and its count. For example, if you were to have to tell someone how long it took you to study for an exam, you might tell them it took you from Monday-Saturday, 6 days. However, if you were to break down the study areas you concentrated on, individually, the count may differ on the surface. For instance, you could say that you studied in area 'A' for 2 days, during the day Monday and part of the morning Tuesday. Then you could say that you studied for a more difficult part 'B' for 4 days, the rest of Tuesday, all Wednesday, all Thursday, and part of the day Friday. Next you could say that you studied part 'C' and reviewed again for 2 days, with the remainder of Friday and all day Saturday. So you see very easily, the break down of your study week could on the surface be a count of 8, however, if you were to state plainly how long you studied all together, you would say 6, Mon-Sat. Its so simple it makes you wonder if people who would argue with you, just didn't think you studied at all! Regarding the next question: The Quran is a text that does not offer up its treasures to just any reader. The events and history behind much of the revelations have a great baring on how they are to be construed and interpretted, and certianly its interpretation must be supplemented with the hundreds of years of scholarship that have worked on just that. Many people would try to disuade you from the path of al-Islam by splicing ayah and sections of the Quran to support their own desires, but the Quran can only be understood from a context of openness and softness in the heart, buttressed by knowledge and understanding of the mind, which only Allah SWT can provide if your being guided is Allah SWT's will. insha Allah I just want to remind you that the above points are only what I could scratch up while limited to my desk at work, and are totally open to anything that the kind brothers and sisters on this board would care to add or subtract. insha'Allah I will try to cross reference my statements if you do not, in the event that you would want to offer them to others in a more presentable form. All of the errors are mine, and the truth is with Allah SWT alone. Forgive me for any misstatements or errors. regards, Qamar Akbal Kaan |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| jaihoon |
| 01/18/02 at 23:45:38 |
| Thank you for your efforts. I will forward ur replies to my friend. jazak Allah khair May Allah multiply your reward for all the positive changes that shall take place based on ur replies. Insha Allah :) |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| akbalkhan |
| 01/19/02 at 01:03:14 |
| "And in Islamic society, a persons blood(life), property, and family are sacred, meaning they are endowed to that person by the will of God." Al Hamdu Lillah. I neglected to put ****HONOR******, a Muslims' honor is sacred as well. 7. About not being allowed to make friends with non-muslims(Surah5.51).Doesn't that show intolerance towards other religions? (It says not to be in the company of christians and jews for then we become like them...) Something I neglected as well, that was mentioned elsewhere on this board, is that during the time of the Prophet Muhammed, SAWS, when the Muslims suffered a setback in their efforts, their are Muslims who opted to find company among non-Muslims in order to shield themselves against any of the hardship, and some ayah were revealed to show these people how inappropriate and dastardly doing that is. Sorry to make these additions now. I will thank my boss for paying me while I spent the time writing all that at work. Oooops. Just kidding, about thanking him that is. Respectfully, Qamar Akbal Kaan |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| momineqbal |
| 01/19/02 at 04:14:23 |
| [slm], Try locating some of Dr. Zakir Naiks FAQs on Islam. Most of these questions would be answered there. Also I remember the question of creation in 6 and 8 days being answered by him in one of the videos I watched. It was pretty close to the answer brother Qamar gave. Wassalam Eqbal |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| Anik |
| 01/20/02 at 03:06:32 |
| aslamau alaikum, I don't think I've ever heard a good response to the 8 or 6 day creation isse and people still call it a "contradiction" this is the way I see it Surah 10 says it was created in 6 days (heaven and earth) and Surah 41 says heavens in 2, earth in 2 , so 4 so far, and another 4 to put mountains, and set it up and make it perfect. So, the heavens and the earth were roughly completed by 4 days, and perhaps it took two days for other structures (THUS making 6), and two days for setting up the environment? But Allahu Alam right, how can we say for Him? After all, no one said that Allah SWT didn't add on to it afterwards did they? OR that creating the heavens and the earth meant to adorn them? aslaamu alaikum. abdullah,. |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| se7en |
| 01/20/02 at 03:14:30 |
as salaamu alaykum, I've always been taught that these numbers simply denote a *large* number, and are not literal. Allahu a'lam. |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| explorer |
| 01/20/02 at 07:25:54 |
| Q12. Missionaries(notably Jochen Katz) have often tagetted the 6 or 8 days creation mentioned in the Quran. There are quite a few well written and detailed articles by muslims rebuking their claims on this subject since this topic requires quite a lot of understanding. Heres one such article from understanding-islam.com Article: Six or Eight Days of Creation Mr Katz, in one of his articles has objected that in most of the places the Qur'an states that God created the heavens and the earth in six days (for example: 7:54, 10:3, 11:7, and 25:59) while in 41: 9 - 12, a little more detail of the number of days involved in this creation is given. In this verse, God has separately mentioned the number of days it took to create the earth and the number it took to create the heavens. Mr. Katz says that if we add up these numbers, they sum up to eight, rather than six, which obviously is a contradiction in the statements of the Qur'an. In the article that follows, I shall try to briefly present my point of view about the stated apparent contradiction in the Qur'an. Let us begin by taking a look at the translation of verses 41: 9 - 12. The Qur'an says: Say: do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days? and do you make other gods His equals? The Lord of the Universe is He. He set upon the earth mountains, towering high above it. He blessed it and provided it with sustenance for all those in need alike, in four days. Then, turning to the sky, which was but a cloud of vapour, He said to it and to the earth: "Come forward both, willingly or perforce". "We will come willingly", they answered. In two days, He formed the sky into seven heavens. A quick look at the verse with particular reference to the number of days involved in the creation, shows that: The creation of the earth took two (2) days; the setting up of mountains, seas etc., and the provision of sustenance for living things on the earth took four (4) days; and the making of the skies took two (2) days. The accumulated number of days involved in the total process of creation seems to be eight (8), as Mr. Katz has also stated. Obviously, there would have been no contradiction, if the matter had ended here. But it did not. There are a number of instances in the Qur'an where it clearly states that Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days. This is where the problem begins! Now, obviously, in view of this apparent contradiction we are faced with a very simple question: Was the author of the Qur'an not even a person of average (even far below average) intelligence? For if the Qur'an contains errors, such as "six equals eight" (6 = 8), it would be very difficult to assume that he (or He) possesses an intelligence above a two year old child (?). Moreover, we are faced with another serious question: Why didn't the rejecters of the Prophet (pbuh) object to such obvious errors in the book that was proving to be "the beginning of the end" for them. Were they really as ignorant as that? Questions such as these force us to have a second and a closer look at the related verses of the Qur'an. For if the Qur'an really contains such fundamental errors (or even just AN Error), it cannot and MUST NOT be ascribed to the All-Knowing, All-Wise Creator and Lord of the universe. We are thus forced to take a second, closer, look at verses 41: 9 - 12. To understand these verses more accurately, let us take a look only at the related portions of these verses. The Qur'an says: ... do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days? ... And He set upon the earth mountains, towering high above it. He blessed it and provided it with sustenance for all those in need, alike, in four days. Then, ... In two days, He formed the sky into seven heavens.I really do not know if any questions arise in the minds of my readers, after looking at these verses again. But as soon as I looked at these verses with the knowledge that the same book which is giving us the above information, has also told us that the total time of creation is six days, I realized that these verses are not giving the number of days involved in three creations, but only two. It is not the earth, the mountains (etc.) and the skies that are under consideration, but only the earth and the skies. (The Reader is requested to have a look at these verses again, and see it for himself/herself). The portion: "And He set upon the earth mountains, towering high above it. He blessed it and provided it with sustenance for all those in need, alike, in four days", mentions only a continuation and finalisation of the process of the creation of the earth. The realization of this fact solved the problem completely. The verses, as I saw them now, were quite clear. The Qur'an in these verses was actually saying that the basic structure of the earth was created in two (2) days. Later on, mountains, seas and other paraphernalia required for the sustenance of living organisms on this basic structure of the earth were designed and created. And all this work (including the creation of the earth and the designing and provision of the paraphernalia) was completed in a total of four (4) days. After this, the skies were modeled and seven heavens were created in two (2) days. Thus the total time involved in the creation of the earth and the heavens totalled to six (6) days -- not eight (8) days. I do acknowledge that if the Qur'an had not mentioned at other places that the creation of the heavens and the earth involved six (6) days, the total process could have been taken to add upto eight (8) days. But keeping in mind that the Qur'an has mentioned elsewhere that the total process involved six (6) days, there is nothing wrong, linguistically, to say that the total period involved in designing and creating the earth (because the mountains etc. are a part of that earth) took four (4) days. While that of the skies involved two (2) days. Thus the total number of days in the designing and creation of the earth and the skies involved six (6) days. The verses now seemed quite clear in their message. I thanked my Lord, and to show my gratitude fell down in prostration. |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| akbalkhan |
| 01/20/02 at 12:28:57 |
| That definitely makes more sense.... Allah SWT forgive me for my false speculation. Regards, Qamar Akbal Kaan |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| zanfaz |
| 01/20/02 at 22:51:58 |
| [slm] Jaihoon, here's the [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=masjid&action=display&num=2195]link[/url] to Dr. Zakir Naik's 'Most commonly asked questions' thread. You may also visit [url]http://www.irf.net[/url] for more info. Wassalam Faizan |
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| jaihoon |
| 01/21/02 at 04:24:55 |
| jazak Allah khair :) |
| Re: Help: Answering questions from non-believers |
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| eleanor |
| 01/21/02 at 06:49:24 |
| slm Just wanted to say as far as Dr.Zakir Naik goes - the man *rocks* when it comes to comparative religion discussions. He has quotes from Qur'an and Bible in his head Mash Allah. I've seen conferences with him on TV and the wealth of information he has in his head is amazing. One preacher/priest type guy asked a question and Dr.Naik said "Well in the book of Matthew, chapter X, verse y to z it says "..." " and he quoted. He turned to the preacher and said "Is that right?" and the preacher just shrugged and hadn't a clue. It was so cool. And if you look up any of the references he gives they're all right. So if your friend's friends are interested they should go to his website and check it out, or even better, invite the brother to do a seminar at his college. wasalaam eleanor |
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| momineqbal |
| 01/21/02 at 18:15:41 |
| [slm], I was in Bombay for sometime and all over Bombay Dr. Zakir Naik's program are relayed on cable TV. An estimated 3.2 million people get this program on cable in their homes. So even if a fraction of them actually watch it's still great mashaAllah and that too in the heartland of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Also Dr. Zakir Naik isn't just able to quote from the Bible, he quotes from the Vedas, Gita, Puranas, Budhists writings, Zorastrian writings, Sikh writings etc. all from his memory. Wassalam Eqbal |
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| Arsalan |
| 01/22/02 at 15:16:24 |
| [slm] Maurice Bucaille has a very interesting discussion about the creation of the universe in "six days" in his book [i]The Bible, The Qur'an and Science[/i]. Here's an excerpt: [url=http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MB_BQS/16creation.htm]The Six Periods of the Creation[/url] There is absolutely no ambiguity whatsoever in the Biblical [ The Biblical description mentioned here is taken from the so-called Sacerdotal version discussed in the first part of this work; the description taken from the so-called Yahvist version has been compressed into the space of a few lines in today s version of the Bible and is too insubstantial to be considered here.] description of the Creation in six days followed by a day of rest, the sabbath, analogous with the days of the week. It has been shown how this mode of narration practiced by the priests of the Sixth century B.C. served the purpose of encouraging the people to observe the sabbath. All Jews were expected to rest [ 'Sabbath' in Hebrew means 'to rest'.] on the sabbath as the Lord had done after he had laboured during the six days of the week. The way the Bible interprets it, the word 'day' means the interval of time between two successive sunrises or sunsets for an inhabitant of the Earth. When defined in this way, the day is conditioned by the rotation of the Earth on its own axis. It is obvious that logically-speaking there can be no question of 'days' as defined just now, if the mechanism that causes them to appear-i.e. the existence of the Earth and its rotation around the Sun-has not already been fixed in the early stages of the Creation according to the Biblical description. This impossibility has already been emphasized in the first part of the present book. When we refer to the majority of translations of the Qur'an, we read that-analogous with the Biblical description-the process of the Creation for the Islamic Revelation also took place over a period of six days. It is difficult to hold against the translators the fact that they have translated the Arabic word by its most common meaning. This is how it is usually expressed in translations so that in the Qur'an, verse 54, sura 7 reads as follows: "Your Lord is God Who created the heavens and the earth in six days." There are very few translations and commentaries of the Qur'an that note how the word 'days' should really be taken to mean 'periods'. It has moreover been maintained that if the Qur'anic texts on the Creation divided its stages into 'days', it was with the deliberate intention of taking up beliefs held by all the Jews and Christians at the dawn of Islam and of avoiding a head-on confrontation with such a widely-held belief. Without in any way wishing to reject this way of seeing it, one could perhaps examine the problem a little more closely and scrutinize in the Qur'an itself, and more generally in the language of the time, the possible meaning of the word that many translators themselves still continue to translate by the word 'day' yaum, plural ayyam in Arabic. [ See table on last page of present work for equivalence between Latin and Arabic letters.] Its most common meaning is 'day' but it must be stressed that it tends more to mean the diurnal light than the length of time that lapses between one day's sunset and the next. The plural ayyam can mean, not just 'days', but also 'long length of time', an indefinite period of time (but always long). The meaning 'period of time' that the word contains is to he found elsewhere in the Qur'an. Hence the following: --sura 32, verse 5: ". . . in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is a thousand years of your reckoning." (It is to be noted that the Creation in six periods is precisely what the verse preceding verse 5 refers to). --sura 70, verse 4: ". . . in a period of time (yaum) whereof the measure is 50,000 years." The fact that the word , yaum' could mean a period of time that was quite different from the period that we mean by the word 'day' struck very early commentators who, of course, did not have the knowledge we possess today concerning the length of the stages in the formation of the Universe. In the Sixteenth century A.D. for example, Abu al Su'ud, who could not have had any idea of the day as defined astronomically in terms of the Earth's rotation, thought that for the Creation a division must be considered that was not into days as we usually understand the word, but into 'events' (in Arabic nauba). Modern commentators have gone back to this interpretation. Yusuf Ali (1934), in his commentary on each of the verses that deals with the stages in the Creation, insists on the importance of taking the word, elsewhere interpreted as meaning 'days', to mean in reality 'very long Periods, or Ages, or Aeons'. It is therefore possible to say that in the case of the Creation of the world, the Qur'an allows for long periods of time numbering six. It is obvious that modern science has not permitted man to establish the fact that the complicated stages in the process leading to the formation of the Universe numbered six, but it has clearly shown that long periods of time were involved compared to which 'days' as we conceive them would be ridiculous. One of the longest passages of the Qur'an, which deals with the Creation, describes the latter by juxtaposing an account of earthly events and one of celestial events. The verses in question are verses 9 to 12, sura 41: (God is speaking to the Prophet) "Say. Do you disbelieve Him Who created the earth in two periods? Do you ascribe equals to Him. He is the Lord of the Worlds. "He set in the (earth) mountains standing firm. He blessed it. He measured therein its sustenance in four periods, in due proportion, in accordance with the needs of those who ask for (sustenance? or information?). "Moreover (tumma) He turned to heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth: come willingly or unwillingly! They said: we come in willing obedience. "Then He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and He assigned to each heaven its mandate by Revelation. And We adorned the lower heaven with luminaries and provided it a guard. Such is the decree of the All Mighty, the Full of Knowledge." These four verses of sura 41 contain several points to which we shall return. the initially gaseous state of celestial matter and the highly symbolic definition of the number of heavens as seven. We shall see the meaning behind this figure. Also of a symbolic nature is the dialogue between God on the one hand and the primordial sky and earth on the other. here however it is only to express the submission of the Heavens and Earth, once they were formed, to divine orders. Critics have seen in this passage a contradiction with the statement of the six periods of the Creation. By adding the two periods of the formation of the Earth to the four periods of the spreading of its sustenance to the inhabitants, plus the two periods of the formation of the Heavens, we arrive at eight periods. This would then be in contradiction with the six periods mentioned above. In fact however, this text, which leads man to reflect on divine Omnipotence, beginning with the Earth and ending with the Heavens, provides two sections that are expressed by the Arabic word tumma', translated by 'moreover', but which also means 'furthermore' or 'then'. The sense of a 'sequence' may therefore be implied referring to a sequence of events or a series of man's reflections on the events mentioned here. It may equally be a simple reference to events juxtaposed without any intention of bringing in the notion of the one following the other. However this may be, the periods of the Creation of the Heavens may just as easily coincide with the two periods of the Earth's creation. A little later we shall examine how the basic process of the formation of the Universe is presented in the Qur'an and we shall see how it can be jointly applied to the Heavens and the Earth in keeping with modern ideas. We shall then realize how perfectly reasonable this way is of conceiving the simultaneous nature of the events here described. There does not appear to be any contradiction between the passage quoted here and the concept of the formation of the world in six stages that is to be found in other texts in the Qur'an. |
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