The Quran’s Geographical Errors Pt. 2

 This is a continuation from the previous segment (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/the-qurans-geographical-errors-pt-1/).

8. The Valley of Towa

Question 8: We read in Sura Ta Ha 20:12: “I am thy Lord; put off thy shoes; thou art in the holy valley, Towa.”

Muslim scholars agree unanimously that the valley where God first appeared to Moses is Towa. But the Bible teaches us that, when Moses was grazing the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, he drove the sheep out of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he beheld the bush burning with fire without being consumed. Then the Lord called to him, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:1-5). So this happened to Moses in Horeb, the mountain ofGod. Where did the Qur’an find the name “Towa”, when in fact Horeb was a well-known mountain on the Sinai Peninsula?

9. Olives on Mount Sinai

Question 9: We read in Sura al-Mu’minun 23:19,20: “Then We produced for you therewith gardens of palms and vines wherein are many fruits for you, and of them you eat, and a tree issuing from the Mount of Sinai that bears oil and seasoning for all to eat.”

Commentators said that the tree refers to olives, and the seasoning refers to the food eaten with the bread (al-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan 18:13).

We ask: Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to refer to Canaan, which is known for olives, and notSinai, where God had to provide manna for the Israelites, owing to the barrenness of the land? In other words, the Sinai Desert is not known for its olives.

10. The Sun Runs to a Resting Place

Question 10: We read in Sura Ya Sin 36:38: “And the sun – it runs to a fixed resting-place; that is the ordaining of the All- mighty, the All-knowing.”

Al-Baidawi said:

“The sun – it runs to a fixed resting-place” refers to a certain limit at which its cycle comes to an end. It is compared to the resting place of a traveller after his journey, or to the centre of the sky where it moves slower, so that one thinks it has come to a halt. [The poet says, ”The sun is gone astray and revolves in the sky.’1lt can also mean a settled and certain course, or an appointed end for each day from the east to the west. For it has a cycle of three hundred and sixty sunrises and sunsets; it rises every morning from arising place and sets in a setting place, only to retum to them the following year. This could also be a reference to the destruction of the world when it ceases to rotate. Another reading is: “with no resting-place to it”; namely, it does not rest, but moves all the time.

We ask: How can the Qur’an say that the sun runs, or that it has a resting place to which it is bound to go? The sun is a stationary star that does not move anywhere. Rather, it is the earth that revolves around the sun.

As for the claim that a variant reading of the Qur’an points to the sun running and not stopping, this only proves that the Qur’an has widely different interpretations which change the meaning. Thus the commentator himself contests the alleged soundness and accuracy of the Qur’an.

11. The Moon Is Like a Palm Frond

Question 11: We read in Sura Ya Sin 36:39,40: “And the moon – We determined it by stations, till it runs like an aged palm bough. It behoves not the sun to overtake the moon, neither does the night outstrip the day, each swimming in the sky.”

Al-Baidawi said:

“And the moon – we determined” means its course is determined by stations. These stations are [twentyseven]. They are as follows: Saratan [‘Cancer’], Batin [‘the Ventricle’], Thurayya [‘the Pleiades’], al-Dabaran, al-Mihqama, aI-Hata’a, Dhira’ [‘the Arm’], al-Natra, Tara’ [‘the End’], Jaiha [‘the Countenance’], Zabra [‘the Lion’s Shoulder’], Sarfa [‘the Lion’s Heart’], ‘Uwa’ [‘the Lion’s Thigh’], al-Samalik, al-Zayana, Iklil [‘the Wreath’], Qalb [‘the Heart’], Shauka [‘the Thorn’], al-Ta’a’im, Balda [‘the Town’], Sa’d al-Dhabih [‘Said of the Sacrifices’], Sa’d Bala’, Sa’d al-Su’ud, Sa’d al-Ahbiya, Fargh al-Dilw al-Muqaddam [‘the advanced Aquarius’], Fargh al-Dilw al-Mu’akhkhar [‘the delayed Aquarius’], and Risha [‘the Whale’s Belly’]. Every night the moon rests at a station, neverexceeding it, and never late to it. When it is at its last station, which precedes the meeting, it tapers and tums into a crescent, “till it runs like an aged palm-bough” or an old palm frond, or a year-old palm frond. “It behoves not the sun” means it does not fit the sun “to overtake the moon” in speed. “Neither does the night outstrip the day” means it does not run before it and leave it lagging behind.

“Each” refers to the suns and the moons. “Swimming in a sky” means they glide easily in it.

12. Mount Qaf Encompasses All the Earth

Question 12: We read in Sura Qaf 50:1: “Qaf by the glorious Qur’an.”

In Ara’is al-Majalis (pp. 7, 8) Tha’labi says, “God, highly exalted, created a great mountain of a green chrysolite, to which the sky owes its greenness. It is called Mount Qaf, and it encompasses all the earth. It is by this mountain that God swore when He said, ‘Qaf by the glorious Qur’an.”’ In a book entitled Qisas al-Anbiya (p. 5) it is written that “(Abdallah Ibn Salam inquired of Muhammad, saying, ‘What is the highest peak in the world?’ Muhammad said, ‘It is Mount Qaf.’ He asked, ‘And what is it?’ Muhammad said, ‘It is of green chrysolite, to which the sky owes its greenness.’ He said, ‘You have spoken the truth, Messenger of God. And what is the height of Mount Qaf?’ Muhammad answered, ‘It is a journey of five hundred years!’ He asked him further, ‘How long does it take a man to cover its circumference?’ He answered, ‘It is a joumey of two thousand years.’ ”

This story of Mount Qaf owes its origin to the Jewish book, Hagiga. In chapter 11, section 1 of this book, the author tries to explain the rarely used Hebrew word tohu [“emptiness or formlessness”], which occurs in Genesis 1:2. The said book reads: “Tohu is the green line encompassing the entire world, from which darkness issues.” The Hebrew word translated as “line” in this book is qav. On hearing the word, the Companions did not know it meant a line, but fancied it to be a majestic mountain chain called Qaf! (There is no letter v in Arabic.)

Now if the Qur’an was revealed by God, as Muslims claim, how could it allege that the horizon, which is an imaginary line, is a mountain?

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/the-qurans-geographical-errors-pt-2/

IHS

The Quran’s Geographical Errors Pt. 1

 The following is taken from ‘Abdallah ‘Abd al-Fadi’s monumental work, Is the Qur’an Infallible?, Part One: Geographical Questions, pp. 15-32, published by Light of Life, P.O. Box 13, A-9503, Villach, Austria.

1. The Sun Sets in a Spring

Question 1: We read in Sura al-Kahf 18:83-86: “They will question thee concerning Dhu al-Qarnain. Say: ‘I will recite to you a mention of him.’ We established him in the land, and We gave him away to every thing; and he followed away until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and he found nearby a people.’

Al-Baidawi in his commentary Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar al-Ta’wil says the following with regard to these verses:

The Jews asked Muhammad about Dhu al-Qamain (Alexander the Great), and he said to them that God established him in the land so that he could reach the place where the sun sets. He found that it set in a muddy spring, and all around the spring were idolatrous people! He also walked to the place where the sun rises and discovered that people lived there who went about naked, with no homes to shelter them from the sun. After that he walked to a site that lies to the north, between the place where the sun rises and sets, which he found to be between two mountains. He poured on these two mountains a mixture of iron and molten brass, thereby setting up an impassable barrier which only God can reach on the Day of Resurrection.

Al-Baidawi added that “Ibn ‘Abbas heard Mu’awiya read ‘aynin hamiya [‘hot spring’l, so he told him it was hami’a [‘muddy’]. Therefore, Mu’awiya sent to Ka’b al-Ahbar, asking, ‘Where do you think the sun sets?’ He said to him, ‘In water and mud.'”

We ask: As the sun is many times larger than the earth, how then could Dhu al-Qamain see it set in a spring filled with water and mud, surrounded by people?

2. The Earth Is Stationary 

Question 2: We read the following in the Qur’an:

“He created the heavens without pillars you can see, and He cast on the earth firm mountains, lest it shake with you” (Sura Luqman 31:10).

“It is He who.stretched out the earth and set therein firm mountains” (Sura al-Ra’d 13:3).

“And the earth – We stretched it forth, and cast on it firm mountains, and We caused to grow therein every thing justly weighed” (Sura al-Hijr 15:19).

“And He cast on the earth firm mountains lest it shake with you, and rivers and ways; so haply you will be guided” (Sura al-Nahl 16:15).

“And We set in the earth firm mountains lest it should shake with them” (Sura al-Anbiya’ 21:31).

Al-Baidawi explains the verse in Sura al-Ra’d as follows: “‘Stretched out the earth’ means it was flattened in width and length so that feet may be steady on and animals may roll on it.” He explained these verses in his commentary on Sura al-Nahl 16:15 as follows:

“And He cast on the earth firm mountains lest it should shake with you,” or lest it should tum aside and be thrown out of balance. For before the mountains were created on it, the earth had been a light-weight sphere of simple substance. It floated about freely in orbit like the planets, and would advance with the slightest movement. Its sides varied in dimension when the mountains were created on its surface, and they centred it, thus serving as wedges to keep it from moving. It was also said that, when God created the earth it started to sway and swing, so that the angels said, “None can have a resting place on its surface.” So it was made stationary by the mountains.

We ask: How could the earth be stretched out, flattened and motionless? How can anyone say that the mountains keep the earth from moving when it is evident that it rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, causing the cycle of day and night? It also revolves around the sun once a year, effecting the changing of the seasons.

3. Stars Are for Stoning the Satans

Question 3: We read in Sura al-Mulk 67:5:

“And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and made them things to stone Satans; and We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blaze.”

Al-Baidawi explained this verse, saying:

“And We adorned the lower heaven” means the nearer heavens. “With lamps” refers to the luminous stars that light the night as lamps. This does not contradict the fact that some stars are stationed in higher heavens, for the adorning of the lower heaven means they are made manifest in it. “And made them things to stone Satans” means they were made for another reason, which is the stoning of enemies. Rujum [“things to stone”] is the plural of rajam, which is anything used for stoning that has flames issuing from it. Another opinion says, “We made them mediums of clairvoyance and augury [which is another definition of the root verb rajama] for the Satans among men, who are the soothsayers.”

We read in Sura al-Saffat 37:6-10: “We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars and to preserve against every rebel Satan; they listen not to the High Council. For they are pelted from every side, rejected, and theirs is an everlasting chastisement, except such as snatches a fragment, and he is pursued by a piercing flame.”

We read in Sura al-Hijr 15:16-18: “We have set in heaven constellations and decked them out fair to the beholders, and guarded them from every accursed Satan excepting such as listens by stealth – and he is pursued by a manifest flame.”

Al-Baidawi explains this verse as follows: ” ‘And guarded them from every accursed Satan’ means that one cannot go up to heaven, tempt its inhabitants, be aware of its location, or subdue it. ‘Excepting such as listen by stealth’ refers to every demon. ‘Listening by stealth’ means overhearing or eavesdropping. It is compared to snatching a fragment from the dwellers of heaven owing to the similarity of their substance, or by deduction from the positions and movements of the stars.”

Ibn ‘Abbas reported that:

They [the fallen angels] had not been kept away from the heavens. But when Jesus was born they were kept away for three years, and when Muhammad was born they were all kept away from them by means of the flames [meteors]. This is not to be rejected owing to the fact that the meteors had been formed before the angels’ birth, for it is possible that they were created for other purposes. Another opinion is that the exception is withheld, meaning that anyone who listens by stealth will be pursued by a flame visible to those able to see. Shihab [“flame”] is a blazing brand of fire. It can also refer to a star [meteor] or a flaming dart, owing to the brilliance of either.

We ask: How are we to imagine an angel the size of a man holding the stars like pieces of rock with which to pelt Satan, keeping him from listening to the voices of the inhabitants of heaven? Have these heavenly bodies been created to serve as ammunition or war material for the stoning of Satan? It is a matter of fact that every star is like an enormous galaxy, and therefore the universe contains millions of enormous galaxies floating at huge distances in limitless space. Also, how can the angels throw the stars without plunging the universe into utter chaos, since by their actions they would upset its equilibrium?

4. Seven Heavens and Seven Earths

Question 4: We read the following verses in the Qur’an:

“It is God who created seven heavens, and of earth their like” (Sura al-Talaq 65:12).

“It is He who created for you all that is in the earth, then he lifted himself to heaven and levelled them seven heavens; and he has knowledge of everything” (Sura al-Baqara 2:29).

“So he determined them seven heavens in two days, and revealed its commandment in every heaven. And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and to preserve; that is the ordaining of the All-mighty, the All-knowing” (Sura Fussilat 41:12).

“We set up the heaven as a roof well-protected; yet still from Our signs they are turning away” (Sura al-Anbiya) 21:32).

“Hast thou not seen how that God… holds back heaven lest it fall upon the earth, save by His leave? Surely God is AII-gentle to men, All-compassionate” (Sura al-Hajj 22:65).

“What, have they not beheld heaven above them, how we have built it, and decked it out fair, and it has no cracks?” (Sura Qaf 50:6).

A1-Baidawi said the “roof well-preserved” in Sura al-Anbiya’ 21 is kept from falling by the command of God. He also explained the “cracks” in Sura Qaf 50 as ruptures, and said that God created the heavens smooth and closely fitting, one on top of the other. It clearly follows from al-Baidawi’s exegesis that God created heaven as a vast, smooth roof above us, with six other heavens as roofs, one on top of the other. He also created our earth together with six other earths like it. The sum total of heavens and earths is thus fourteen.

We ask: How could it be that the IimiUess space above us is a smooth roof capable of caving in, or that there are seven roofs of this kind? How could it be that the millions of stars floating in IimiUess space are lamps fixed in an imaginary roof? How can the claim be justified that there are seven earths like our earth, which is unique among millions of planets, moons and suns?

5. The Postponed Month Is Unbelief

Question 5: We read in Sura al-Tawba 9:36,37: “The number of the months, with God, is twelve in the Book of God, the day that He created the heavens and the earth; four of them are sacred. That is the right religion. So wrong not one another during them. And fight the unbelievers totally even as they fight you totally; and know that God is with the god-fearing. The month postponed is an increase of unbelief whereby the unbelievers go astray; one year they make it profane, and hallow it another, to agree with the number that God has hallowed, and so profane what God has hallowed. Decked out fair to them are their evil deeds; and God guides not the people of the unbelievers.”

The question is: Is this really unbelief? Scientists determine dates by the solar calendar, which is different from the lunar calendar by roughly one month, so how can a natural astronomical calculation be considered unbelief?

6. Egypt Is Irrigated by Rain

Question 6: We read in Sura Yusuf 12:49: “Then thereafter there shall come a year wherein the people will be succoured [yughathu] and press in season.”

Here a reference is made to the drought that Egypt suffered for seven continual years during the time of Joseph, and to the surplus that would replace this barrenness. It says that in the year of plenty they will have rain [the word succoured in Arabic means ‘to be relieved by rain1; as if Egypt’s fertility is based on rain. This contradicts reality, for rain is very scarce in Egypt, and it plays no role in that country’s irrigation, which is obtained solely from the annual flooding of the Nile. How then can the fertility of Egypt be attributed to rain?

7. Thunder Is an Angel

Question 7: We read in Sura al-Ra’d 13:13: “The thunder proclaims His praise, and the angels, in awe of Him. He looses the thunderbolts, and smites with them whosoever He will; yet they dispute about God, who is mighty in power.”

Al-Baidawi said, “Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet was asked about the thunder. He answered, ‘It is an angel entrusted with the clouds. He has entwined shreds of fire with which he drives the clouds and the angels, in awe of God.’ Another opinion says that the pronoun him refers to the thunder itself.”

Al-Tirmidhi brought out, quoting Ibn ‘Abbas, that “the Jews came to Muhammad and said, ‘Tell us about the thunder. What is it?’ He said, ‘One of the angels who is entrusted with the clouds. He has entwined shreds of fire with which he drives the clouds wherever God wills.’ They asked, ‘What is this sound, then, which is heard?’ He said, ‘It is his rebuke to the clouds, that they should stop where they have been commanded.’ They said, ‘You have spoken the truth!'”

We ask: Why does the Qur’an say that thunder is an angel, when primitive peoples regarded it as a god? In reality it is the electricity generated by the collision of positively and negatively charged ions in the clouds.

There’s more from al-Fadi in the next installment (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/the-qurans-geographical-errors-pt-2/).

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/the-qurans-geographical-errors-pt-1/

IHS

How to Become a True Muslim

 According to the Islamic sources, the way a person enters into the fold of Islam is by confessing and testifying that, not only is there no other deity besides Allah, and that Muhammad is supposedly his messenger, but also must bear witness to Jesus being

XLVII:

“O People of the Book! Do not go to excess concerning your deen. Say nothing but the truth about Allah. The Messiah, ‘Isa son of Maryam, was only the Messenger of Allah and His Word, which He cast into Maryam, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His Messengers. Do not say, ‘Three.’ It is better that you stop. Allah is only One God. He is too Glorious to have a son! Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Him. Allah is enough as a Guardian.” (4:171)

Abu ‘Ubayd said that “His Word” is “Be” and it is. Someone else said that “a Spirit from Him” means that He gave him life and gave him a spirit, “Say not ‘Three'” [about Allah].

3252. It is related from ‘Ubada that the Prophet said, “Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, that ‘Isa is the slave of Allah and His Messenger and a Word which He CAST INTO Maryam and a spirit from Him, and that the Garden is real and the Fire is real will enter the Garden whatever his actions.”

It is related from Junada that he added, “And he can enter by whichever of the eight doors of the Garden he wishes.” (Aisha Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, Prophets https://bewley.virtualave.net/bukhari26.html#prophets; capital and underline emphasis ours)

It is narrated on the authority of Ubadah b. Samit that the messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: HE WHO SAID: “There is no god but Allah, He is One and there is no associate with Him, that Muhammad is his servant and His messenger, that Christ is servant and the son of His slave-girl and he (Christ) His word which He communicated to Mary and is His Spirit, that Paradise is a fact and Hell is a fact,” Allah would make him (he who affirms these truths enter Paradise through any one of its eight doors which he would like. (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Number 0043)

Riyad as-Salihin

The Book of Miscellany

‘Ubadah bin As-Samit reported:

Messenger of Allah said, “He who bears witness that there is no true god except Allah, alone having no partner with Him, that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, that ‘Isa (Jesus) is His slave and Messenger and he (Jesus) is HIS WORD which He communicated to Maryam (Mary) and HIS SPIRIT which He SENT TO HER, that Jannah is true and Hell is true; Allah will make him enter Jannah accepting whatever deeds he accomplished”.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration in Muslim is: the Messenger of Allah said, “Whosoever testifies that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Allah saves him from the Fire (of Hell)”. (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/riyadussaliheen/1/412; capital and underline emphasis mine)

Hence, a person must believe the divine prehuman existence and incarnation of Jesus in order to be a true Muslim. In other words, a Muslim is one who believes that Jesus eternally existed as a bodiless Spirit alongside Allah, being Allah’s very eternal Word, who was then sent down into the blessed womb of Mary in order to become a flesh and blood human being.

After all, since Allah’s Word is eternal, and since the Quran and ahadith testify that Jesus is that very Word, and not simply a creature who was created by Allah’s Word, Jesus must, therefore, be eternal. Note the logic behind this argument:

A. The Word of Allah is eternal, uncreated.

B. Jesus is the Word of Allah according to the Quran and ahadith.

C. Therefore, Jesus is eternal and uncreated.

In this, the Muslim sources are doing nothing more than merely confirming the inspired teaching of the New Testament, specifically that of John’s message, that Jesus is the eternal Word of God, and preexistent divine Spirit, whom God appointed to bring the entire creation into existence, and who then became flesh by being conceived and born from his beloved and holy mother:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:18-23 New American Standard Version (NASB)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him..  And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth… No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14, 18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NASB

“He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Revelation 19:13 NASB

So it is written, ‘The first man Adam was made a living soul.’ The last Adam was made a life-giving spirit. However, that which is spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man was the Lord from heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 Modern English Version (MEV)

Further Reading

Sunni Islam’s Real Shahadah (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/real_shahada.htm)

The Quran Confirms the Prehuman Existence and Incarnation of Christ Pt. 1 (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/the-quran-confirms-the-prehuman-existence-and-incarnation-of-christ/), Pt. 2 (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/the-quran-confirms-the-prehuman-existence-and-incarnation-of-christ-pt-2/)

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/15/how-to-become-a-true-muslim/

 IHS

The Quran’s Divine Corporation: Unveiling the Reason Why Allah Speaks in the Plural

 Non-Muslims are baffled over the reason why the Quran repeatedly has Allah speaking of himself in the plural. And Muslims themselves are either not clear or are not consistent why their deity so often refers to himself in the plural.   

As an illustration of just how baffling and incoherent this employment of the plural happens to be, noted the following passages where the plural is jumbled up with first and second person singular pronouns:

What, shall I seek after any judge but God? For it is HE WHO sent down to you the Book well-distinguished; and those whom WE have given the Book know it is sent down from thy Lord with the truth; so be not thou of the doubters. S. 6:114 Arberry

Glorified be HE WHO carried HIS servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof WE have blessed, that WE might show him of OUR tokens! Lo! HE, only HE, is the Hearer, the Seer. WE gave unto Moses the Scripture, and WE appointed it a guidance for the children of Israel, saying: Choose no guardian beside ME. (They were) the seed of those whom WE carried (in the ship) along with Noah. Lo! he was a grateful slave. And WE decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture: Ye verily will work corruption in the earth twice, and ye will become great tyrants. So when the time for the first of the two came, WE roused against you slaves of OURS of great might who ravaged (your) country, and it was a threat performed. Then WE gave you once again your turn against them, and WE aided you with wealth and children and made you more in soldiery. S. 17:1-6 Pickthall

Talk about mass confusion!

Allah garbles up these passages by referring to himself with first person singular and plural pronouns, and also employs the second person singular pronouns to speak of himself! In the process of doing so, he ends up baffling the readers by identifying someone other than himself as Allah or God, who so happens to be his very own judge! 

With the foregoing in perspective, I am now going to demonstrate that part of the reason why the Islamic god speaks in the plural is that he is referring not just to himself, but also to the angels, particularly Gabriel, and Muhammad, who happen to be the partners that Allah has joined to himself.

Note, for instance, the following passage:

That is Paradise which WE shall give as an inheritance to those of OUR servants who are godfearing. WE come not down, save at the commandment of thy Lord. To Him belongs all that is before US, and all that is behind US, and all between that. And thy Lord is never forgetful, Lord He of the heavens and earth and all that is between them. So serve Him, and be thou patient in His service; knowest thou any that can be named with His Name? Man says, ‘What, when I am dead shall I then be brought forth alive?’ Will not man remember that WE created him aforetime, when he was nothing? Now, by thy Lord, WE shall surely muster them, and the Satans, then WE shall parade them about Gehenna hobbling on their knees. Then WE shall pluck forth from every party whichever of them was the most hardened in disdain of the All-merciful; then WE shall know very well those most deserving to burn there. Not one of you there is, but he shall go down to it; that for thy Lord is a thing decreed, determined. Then WE shall deliver those that were godfearing; and the evildoers WE shall leave there, hobbling on their knees. S. 19:63-72 Arberry

The careful reader will see that the first person plural pronouns are all referring to one and the same entity or group. In other words, the very same one(s) that only come(s) down by the commandment of the Lord, is/are also the very same entity/entities that claim to have created mankind, and who shall cast the devils and everyone else into hell, and who will then take out the god-fearing from the fire. 

According to the so-called authentic narrations, the ones speaking here are supposed to be the angels, specifically the angel Gabriel (Jibril):

CCXXII: “We do not descend except at your Lord’s command.” (19:64)

4454. It is related from Sa’id ibn Jubayr that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked Jibril, ‘What prevents you from visiting us more than you visit us?’ Then it was revealed, ‘We do not descend except at your Lord’s command. Everything in front of us, and everything behind us, and everything in between belongs to Him.’ (19:64)” (Aisha Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, Chapter 68. Book of Tafsir https://bewley.virtualave.net/bukhari32.html; )

This means that it is Gabriel who is claiming to have created mankind and who musters the demons and human beings into hell.

The hadiths further teach that Muhammad will actually take people out of hell itself and cause them to then enter into paradise:

Narrated ‘Imran bin Husain: The Prophet said, “Some people will be taken out of the Fire through the intercession of Muhammad they will enter Paradise and will be called Al-Jahannamiyin (the Hell Fire people).” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 571 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=76&translator=1&start=0&number=571; bold emphasis mine)

And:

“‘… So they will come to me, and I will ask my Lord’s permission to enter His House and then I will be permitted. When I see Him I will fall down in prostration before Him, and He will leave me (in prostration) as long as He will, and then He will say, “O Muhammad, lift up your head and speak, for you will be listened to, and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted, and ask (for anything) for it will be granted”: Then I will raise my head and glorify my Lord with certain praises which He has taught me. Allah will put a limit for me (to intercede for a certain type of people). I WILL TAKE THEM OUT AND MAKE THEM ENTER PARADISE.’

“(Qatada said: I heard Anas saying that), the Prophet said, ‘I will go out and TAKE THEM OUT OF HELL (Fire) AND LET THEM ENTER PARADISE, and then I will return and ask my Lord for permission to enter His House and I will be permitted. When I will see Him I will fall down in prostration before Him and He will leave me in prostration as long as He will let me (in that state), and then He will say, “O Muhammad, raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to, and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted, and ask, your request will be granted.”’ The Prophet added, ‘So I will raise my head and glorify and praise Him as He has taught me. Then I will intercede and He will put a limit for me (to intercede for a certain type of people). I WILL TAKE THEM OUT and let them enter Paradise.’

“(Qatada added: I heard Anas saying that) the Prophet said, ‘I will go out and TAKE THEM OUT OF HELL (Fire) and let them enter Paradise, and I will return for the third time and will ask my Lord for permission to enter His house, and I will be allowed to enter. When I see Him, I will fall down in prostration before Him, and will remain in prostration as long as He will, and then He will say, “Raise your head, O Muhammad, and speak, for you will be listened to, and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted, and ask, for your request will be granted.” So I will raise my head and praise Allah as He has taught me and then I will intercede and He will put a limit for me (to intercede for a certain type of people). I WILL TAKE THEM OUT and let them enter Paradise.’

“(Qatada said: I heard Anas saying that) the Prophet said, ‘So I will go out and take them out of Hell (Fire) and let them enter Paradise, till none will remain in the Fire except those whom Quran will imprison (i.e., those who are destined for eternal life in the fire).’

“The narrator then recited the Verse:– ‘It may be that your Lord will raise you to a Station of Praise and Glory.’ (17.79) The narrator added: This is the Station of Praise and Glory which Allah has promised to your Prophet.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 532v https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=93&translator=1&start=0&number=532)

These hadiths prove that Gabriel and Muhammad are included within the being or entity that the plural pronouns in the Quran refer to since they are performing the very actions that the subjects of these pronouns are said to carry out.

Further corroboration of this point comes from the way the Muslim expositors and ahadith interpret the following Quranic texts:

And she who guarded her virginity, so WE breathed into her of OUR spirit and appointed her and her son to be a sign unto all beings. S. 21:91 Arberry

And Mary, Imran’s daughter, who guarded her virginity, so WE breathed into her of OUR Spirit, and she confirmed the Words of her Lord and His Books, and became one of the obedient. S. 66:12 Artery

It is obvious from the foregoing passages that Allah is supposed to have been the one breathing his spirit into Mary’s body in order to cause her to supernaturally conceive her glorious and blessed Son. And yet according to the Islamic sources, the one who did the actual breathing was none other than the angel Gabriel:

And ˹remember˺ the one who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her through Our angel, ˹Gabriel,˺ ¹  making her and her son a sign for all peoples. S. 21:91 (Mustafa Khattab, Clear Quran Translation http://www.alim.org/library/quran/surah/english/21/MKT#91; bold and italicized emphasis mine)

29442 Gabriel breathed into the sleeves of Mary’s garment so she conceived Jesus. (Ibid. http://www.alim.org/library/quran/surah/english/21/MKT#ayanote-1; bold emphasis ours)

˹There is˺ also ˹the example of˺ Mary, the daughter of ’Imrân, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her ˹womb˺ through Our angel ˹Gabriel˺. ¹  She testified to the words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was one of the ˹sincerely˺ devout. S. 66:12 (Ibid. http://www.alim.org/library/quran/surah/english/66/MKT#12; bold and italicized emphasis mine)

29989 Gabriel breathed into the sleeves of Mary’s garment so she conceived Jesus. (Ibid. http://www.alim.org/library/quran/surah/english/66/MKT#ayanote-1)

And mention Mary the one who guarded her virginity the one who preserved it from being taken so We breathed into her of Our spirit namely Gabriel when he breathed into the opening of her garment and she conceived Jesus. And We made her and her son a sign for all the worlds that is for mankind jinn and angels because she bore him without having a male partner. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=21&tAyahNo=91&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

And Mary wa-Maryama is a supplement to imra’ata Fir‘awna daughter of ‘Imrān who preserved the chastity of her womb so We breathed into it of Our Spirit namely Gabriel — when he breathed into the opening of her shirt by God’s creation of this action of his which reached her womb thus conceiving Jesus — and she confirmed the words of her Lord His prescriptions and His revealed Scriptures and she was of the obedient one of the obedient folk. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=12&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

(And) and mention (she who was chaste, therefore We breathed into her (something) of Our Spirit) therefore, by Our command, Gabriel breathed into her (and made her and her son a token) a sign and admonition (for (all) peoples) for the children of Israel: a son without a father; and a birth without physical contact. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=21&tAyahNo=91&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

(And Mary, daughter of Imran, whose body was chaste, therefore We breathed therein something of Our Spirit) and so Gabriel breathed inside her garment and she became pregnant with Jesus. (And she put faith in the words of her Lord) she believed in what Gabriel told her that he was the Messenger of Allah entrusted with giving her a holy son (and His Scriptures) and she also believed in His Scriptures: the Torah, the Gospel and all other Scriptures; it is also said this means: she believed in the words of her Lord that Jesus the son of Mary will come into being by Allah saying “Be!” and he became a human being, and she also believed in His Scripture: the Gospel, (and was of the obedient) in times of hardship and comfort; and it is also said that this means: and she was obedient to He Who is far transcendent and majestic’.(Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=12&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

(And We breathed into it (private part) through Our Ruh,) meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him to blow into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb through her private part; this is how `Isa was conceived. This is why Allah said here…

(And We breathed into it through Our Ruh, and she testified to the truth of her Lords Kalimat, and His Kutub,) meaning His decree and His legislation. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir http://www.alim.org/library/quran/AlQuran-tafsir/TIK/66/11; bold emphasis mine)

(Al-Masih `Isa, son of Maryam, was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word, which He bestowed on Maryam and a spirit from (created by) Him;) `Isa is only one of Allah’s servants and one of His creatures. Allah said to him, `Be’, and he was, and He sent him as a Messenger. `Isa was a word from Allah that He bestowed on Maryam, meaning He created him with the word `Be’ that He sent with Jibril to Maryam. Jibril blew the life of `Isa into Maryam by Allah’s leave, and `Isa came to existence as a result. This incident was in place of the normal conception between man and woman that results in children. This is why `Isa was a word and a Ruh (spirit) created by Allah, as he had no father to conceive him. Rather, he came to existence through the word that Allah uttered, `Be,’ and he was, through the life that Allah sent with Jibril… (Ibid., Q. 4:171 http://www.alim.org/library/quran/AlQuran-tafsir/TIK/4/171; bold emphasis ours)

“… Tabarsi, however, said… ‘Gabriel also appeared to Mary when she conceived Jesus, he announced him to her AND BREATHED THE SPIRIT OF GOD INTO HER‘ (Tabarsi, I, p. 349).” (Mahmoud M. Ayoub, The Qur’an and its Interpreters [State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany, NY 1984], Volume One, pp. 124-125; bold and capital emphasis ours)

What this shows is that the reason why plural pronouns are being employed in these specific verses is that Gabriel happens to be one of the divine speakers. It also confirms that Gabriel is a co-creator and life-giver with Allah since he is the one who caused Mary’s miraculous conception.

It seems that Gabriel isn’t the only angel who has the power to create and bestow life. According to the following narrations, Allah sends an unnamed angel to blow/breathe the soul/spirit into every human being that is conceived, obviously for the express purpose of animating their physical bodies:

‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud said:

The Messenger of Allah who spoke the truth and whose word was belief told us the following : The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother’s womb, then they become a piece of congealed blood for a similar period, then they become a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends to him AN ANGEL with four words who records his provision the period of his life, his deeds, and whether he will be miserable or blessed; thereafter HE BREATHES the spirit into him. One of you will do the deeds of those who go to Paradise so that there will be only a cubit between him and it or will be within a cubit, then what is decreed will overcome him so that he will do the deeds of those who go to Hell and will enter it; and one of you will do the deeds of those who go to hell, so that there will be only a cubit between him and it or will be within a cubit, then what is decreed will overcome him, so that he will do the deeds of those who go to Paradise and will enter it.

Grade: SAHIH (Al-Albani)

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4708

In-book reference: Book 42, Hadith 113

English translation: Book 41, Hadith 4691 (Sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud/42/113; capital and underline emphasis mine)

Jami` at-Tirmidhi

Chapters On Al-Qadar

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

The Messenger of Allah narrated to us – and he is the truthful and entrusted one: ‘Indeed the creation of one of you is gathered inside his mother in forty days. Then, for a similar period, he is a clot. Then, for a similar period, he is a piece of flesh. Then Allah sends THE ANGEL to him TO BLOW the soul into him, and he is ordered to write four (things): To write his provision, his life-span, his works, and whether he will be wretched or happy. By the One besides Whom there is none other worthy of worship! One of you will do deeds of the people of Paradise, until there is between him and it but a forearm span, then he is overcome by what is written for him, and he is sealed off with the deeds of the people of the Fire, so that he enters it. And indeed one of you will do deeds of the people of the Fire, until there is between him and it but a forearm span, then he is overcome by what is written for him, and he is sealed off with the deeds of the people of Paradise, so that he enters it.’”

Grade: SAHIH (Darussalam)

English reference: Vol. 4, Book 6, Hadith 2137

Arabic reference: Book 32, Hadith 2284 (Sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/urn/674400; capital and underline emphasis mine)

Interestingly, not only are angels capable of creating and giving life, they also have the ability to cause death,

Verily, those whom the angels cause to die while they are wronging their own souls, the angels will say to them: ‘What were you after?’ They will say: ‘We were treated as weak in the land.’ The angels will say, ‘Was not ALLAH’s earth spacious enough so that you could have emigrated therein?’ It is these whose abode shall be Hell, and an evil destination it is; S. 4:97 Sher Ali

Those whom the angels CAUSE TO DIE while they are unjust to themselves. Then would they offer submission: We used not to do any evil. Aye! surely Allah knows what you did… Those whom the angels CAUSE TO DIE in a good state, saying: Peace be on you: enter the garden for what you did. S. 16:28, 32 Shakir

Say, `The angel of death that has been put in charge of you will cause you to die; then to your Lord will you be brought back.’ S. 32:11 Sher Ali

In the same way that Allah does:

How disbelieve ye in Allah when ye were dead and He gave life to you! Then He will give you death, then life again, and then unto Him ye will return. S. 2:28 Pickthall

It is Allah Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply. S. 39:42 Hilali-Khan

The above helps us better appreciate the following text:

And verily, it is WE Who give life, and WE Who cause death; And it is WE Who are the sole Inheritors of ALL. S. 15:23 Sher Ali

Since the Quran and Islamic corpus testify that both Allah and his angels give life and cause death, this explains the reason for the employment plural pronouns. I.e., the plural pronouns refer to Allah and his angels collectively, thereby affirming that these angelic beings are also divine since they speak and do the very things, which only God can do.

The foregoing data provide conclusive evidence that the reason why Allah speaks in the plural is not that he is referring to himself in a majestic way, e.g. plural of majesty, or royal plural. Rather, it is due to the fact that both the angels, such as Gabriel and Muhammad himself, are included within the divine identity of the Islamic deity since they perform the very acts and possess the same abilities, which the Quran ascribes to exclusive Allah. This, in turn, proves that Allah is not alone, but has taken the angels such as Gabriel and Muhammad to be his partners in divinity and majesty.

Further Reading

Can Angels Cause Death? (https://answeringislam.net/Quran/Contra/death_angels.html)

More on the Quran Contradiction of Angels Creating and Causing Death (https://answeringislam.net/Responses/Osama/zaatri_angels.htm)

The Confusion Concerning Identity of the Spirit and Gabriel in the Quran (https://answeringislam.net/Quran/Contra/gabriel_spirit.html)

Is “the Holy Spirit” Only Another Name for the Angel Gabriel? (https://answeringislam.net/Shamoun/gabriel.htm)

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/21/the-qurans-divine-corporation-unveiling-the-reason-why-allah-speaks-in-the-plural/

IHS