Saturday, October 24, 2009

Books of Comparative Religion

This is the list of books on comparative religion that I own/read:
The Death of the Messiah, 2 Volumes-Dr. Raymond Brown 
The Stone Edition of the Tanakh 
KJV Ryrie Study Bible expanded edition 
Ancient Roots Translinear Bible 
The Holy Bible-RSV
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures-Edited and commentary by Marvin Meyer 
JPS Tanakh-The Holy Scriptures 
The Jerusalem Bible-Readers Edition 
NRSV-Catholic Edition 
Catechism of the Catholic Church 
The New Testament-Recovery Version 
Holy Bible-NKJV
Holy Bible-NIV
The Jesus Papers-Baigent 
Jesus for the Non-Religious-Spong
The Book of Mormon 
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene-Translated and commentary by Lelouf 
Abraham-Feiler 
Unearthing the Lost words of Jesus-Dart and  Reigert
The New Testament Code-Eisenman
Tao-Te-Ching-Lao-Tzu
The Gospel of Thomas-commentary and translation by Dart and Reigert 
Religion for Dummies 
The World Religions-Huston Smith 
Holy Bible-ESV
Holy Bible-NLT
The Gospel of Judas-Edited by: Kasser, Meyer, Wurst, commentary by Ehrman 
Reading Judas-Pagels and King 
The First Messiah-Wise 
Hebrew Gospel of Matthew-Howard 
Essential Visual Guide to the Bible-National Geographic 
Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History-translated by Cruse 
The Bible-Armstrong 
The Revised English Bible with Apocrypha 
The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered-Eisenman and Wise 
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English-Geza Vermes 
The Holy Bible-RSV
Holy Bible, Scofield Study System-KJV
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the first Christians-Eisenman 
James the Brother of Jesus-Eisenman 
Who wrote the Bible?-Friedman 
The Birth of the Messiah-Brown 
Introduction to the Gospel of John-Brown 
The Kabbalistic Tradition-edited by Alan Unterman 
The Talmud, a selection-Penguin Classics 
The Works of Philo-Translated by Yonge 
The Living Bible 
The One Volume Bible Commentary Edited by Dummelow
The Other Bible-Edited by Barnstone 
The Gnostic Bible-edited by Meyer 
The Lost books of the Bible and the forgotten books of Eden-L.B. Press
The Access Bible-NRSV including Apocryphal books from Catholic and Greek Orthodox 
The Urantia Book
The Power of Now-Tolle
A New Earth-Tolle
A Buddhist Bible-edited by Goddard 
From Jesus to Christianity-White
Misquoting Jesus-Ehrman 
God's Problem-Ehrman
Jesus, Interrupted-Ehrman 
The I Ching, the book of changed-Translated by Legge 
Bhagavad-gita, as it is, translated and explained by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
1,001 Pearls of Buddhist Wisdom by Desmond Biddulph
Peace be upon You-Karabell
Teachings of the Buddha-edited by Kornfield 
What would Buddha d0?-Metcalf
Living Buddha, Living Christ-Thich Nhat Hanh
Crossing the Threshold of Hope-Pope John Paul 2nd
A short history of Myth-Armstrong 
The Great Transformation-Armstrong 
The Battle for God-Armstrong 
History of God-Armstrong 
A course in Miracles-Foundation for Inner Peace
The Book of Thoth-Crowley 
The Changing faces of Jesus-Vermes 
The Satanic Bible-Lavey 
The Varieties of Religious Experience-James 
All books by Carl Jung (Psychology and Theology/Religious, spiritual)
The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton 
Jesus, a story of enlightenment-Chopra 
The Gospel of Barnabas-Forward by Iman Muhammad Armiya Nu'Man
The Stone Edition of the Chumash 
The Works of Josephus-Translated by Whiston 
The Five Books of Moses-Translated and commentary by Alter
The Book of Psalms-translated and commentary by Alter 
The Buddha Book-Lillian Too

No doubt I missed several books that are in my library, this also can be said for the books on just Islam, which can be found on this blog. 
Enjoy the knowledge!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Message from a Sock Account

video

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Books on Theology

Many people have requested I post a list of all books I own/have read on the subject on theology. Be it Islam or comparative religion in general I have read a lot, and would like to take this opportunity to share with you all the knowledge I have acquired due to these wonderful books. Enjoy, and don't forget to read!

Islam:
The Glorious Quran-Tex translation and commentary by Abdul Majid Daryabadi
The Collected Lyrics of Hafiz of Shiraz
Atlas of the Quran-published by Darrualislam
Atlast of the Prophet's Biography
The Gift-Poems of Hafiz
The Bible, the Quran and Science by Maurice Bucallie
As-Suyuti's Medicine of the Prophet
The Prophet Muhammad-A Biography by Barnaby Rogerson
The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by A.H. Siddiqui
Muhammad-his life based on the earliest sources by Martin Lings
The Quran-Translated and explained by M.A.S.Abdel Haleem
Love of God- A Sufic Approach
101 Great Mystic sayings of Islam
The First and Final commandment by Dr. Laurence B. Brown
Muslim/Christian Dialogue by H.M.Baagil
Human Rights in Islam and common misconceptions by Abdul-Rahman al-Sheha
Help yourself in reading Qur'an(Arabic-English) Published by Darussalam
Christianity and Islam According to the Bible and the Qur'an by Naser Al-Moghamis
The Universal Spirit of Islam
The Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad by Allama Sir Abdullah and Al-Mamun Al-Shurawardy
Adam to Muhammad by Adbur Rehman Shad
Islamic Sufism by Wahid Baksh Rabbani
Abraham-the friend of God by Jerald F. Dirks
The Sublime Quran Translated by Laleh Bakhtiar
The Noble Quran Translated by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hillali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Jesus in the eyes of the Sufis by Dr. Javad Nurbaksh
The Muslim Jesus-saying and stories in Islamic Literature by Jarif Khalidi
Mary and Jesus in the Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Who is our Savior? Allah or Jesus by M. Ghounem
When Christians as the Quran answers by Mohamed Ghounem
200+ ways the Quran helps the Bible by Mohamed Ghounem
The Meaning of the Holy Quran Translated and commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Essential Sufism edited by James Fadiman and Robert Frager
Introduction to the Sciences of the Quran by Ammar Yasir Qadhi
The History of the Qur'anic Text by M.M. Al-Azami
Do's and Do Nots in Islam by A. Rahman Shad
Love's Alchemy Edited by Fideller
The Dictionary of Arabic-English/English-Arabic by Ellas
The Cross and the Crescent by Jerald F. Dirks
The Life of Muhammad-Sirat Rasudillah Translated by Gullaume
Reliance of the Traveler- by Ibn Naqib Al-Misri, translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
The Holy Quran Translated by Mulana Muhammad Ali
The Choice by Ahmed Deedat
(All books by Ahmed Deedat are in my library)
Islam the religion of all by Muhammad Tawfiek Ahmad
The Truth about Jesus
Principles about Islam
The concept of God in Islam by Hasan abdul Hakim
The Quran and Modern Science by Dr. Zakir Naik
A Brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam
Recognizing Islam-religion and society in the modern arab world by Michael Gilsenan
Fortification of the Muslim through remembrance and supplication from the Qur'an and Sunnah compiled by Sa'id Ibn Ali Ibn Wahf Al-Qahtani
Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi by Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi
Lost History-the enduring legacy of Muslim scientists, thinkers and artists by Michael Hamilton Morgan
Jesus through the Quran and Shi'ite Narrations translated by al-Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen
The Holy Quran Explained by Allamah Nooruddin, translated by Amatul Rahman Omar
Dictionary of the Holy Quran(Arabic-English) by ibid
The Angels Knocking on the Tavern Door(Thirty Poems by Hafez) Translated by Robert Bly
Al-Maqasid Imam Nawawis Manual of Islam translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
The Quran: the Unchallengeable Miracle by Caner Taslaman
Children of Jihad by Jared Cohen
The Trouble with Islam Today by Irshad Manji
The Drunken Universe Translated with commentary by Peter Lamborn
The Other Islam by Stephen Schwartz
Sufism- an account of the Mystics of Islam by A.J. Arberry
Rumi the Persian Mystic by F. Handland Davis
Losing my religion- a call for help by Jeffery Lang
Struggling to Surrender by Jeffery Lang
Even Angels ask by Jeffery Lang
Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulum-id-din(The Book of Religious Learnings) translated in 4 Volumes by Al-Haj Maulana Fazlul Karim
The Doctrine of the Sufs(Kitab al-ta'arruf lit-madhhab ahl al-tasawwuf) translated from the Arabic of Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi by A.J. Arberry
The Bustan of Sa'di by Sa'di Shirazi
Minhajul-'Abideen by Imam Abu Hamid Al Ghazali translated into english by Iqbal Husain Ansari
Tahafut-Al-Falsifah(Incoherence of the Philosophers) by Imam Al-Ghazali
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Sahih Bukhari Translated into English in 9 Volumes by Muhammad Mushin Khan
The Metaphysics of Rumi by Dr. Abdul Hakim
Rumi's World-the life and work of the Great Sufi Poet by Annemarie Schimmel
Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz edited and translated by R.A Nicholson
The Pocket Rumi edited by Kabir Helminski
Muwatta of Imam Malik translated by Prof. M. Rahimudin
Al-Lu' Lu' Wal Marjan Translated into English in 3 Volumes by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Understanding Islam by Jerald F. Dirks
Narrative of Prophets by Khawaja Muhammad Islam
The True collection Sunan Al-Tirmithi translated into english in 4 volumes by Haytham Kreidly
Sunan Abu-Dawud translated into english in 3 volumes by Prof. Ahmed Hasan
Sahih Muslim translated into English in 4 Volumes by Abdul Hamid Siddiqi
Muhammad by Karen Armstrong
Muhammad in the Bible by Prof. Abdul-Ahad Dawud
Jesus A prophet in Islam-Muhammad Ataur-Rahim
In the footsteps of the Prophet by Taria Ramadan
Answering those who altered the religion of jesus christ by Shaikul-Islam Ibn Taimiyah
Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary
Introduction to Islamic Law by Alhaji A.D. Ajijola
The Bible and the Quran by Jacques Jomier
The Mathnawi by Rumi Translated by R.A.Nicholson in 6 volumes in english
Divan-i Kibar by Rumi translated into English in 22 Volumes by Dr. Nevitt Ergin
The Essential Rumi edited by Coleman Barks

The next post will be all comparative religious books I own and have read.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Responding to a Critic Part.2

video

Responding to a Critic

video

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Why Islam?

Several persons have requested that I talk about my conversion story, and in light of the many requests I have decided to type up a summary of how I came to Islam, and why. This will probably be unlike most "conversion" stories you have heard or read because I will not go into detail into "how I felt" or other emotional sides of the equation. It will of course come up, how could it not?, but the majority of my experience with religion stems from actual research and not a dream or some other theological vision that other converts claim.

I was raised in a Roman Catholic household, but both my parents were not strict in their faith and did not force me to be an active member in the Church. Did we go to church on Sunday? Yes. All the time? No. However I loved reading the Bible, and it was common even in my youth to watch movies about Biblical stories and even read large portions of the Bible here and there. However because of my upbringing I would have to say that my education of Catholic or even Christian Doctrine for that matter was probably very low, considering I never went to Catholic school, but obtained a mere secular education.

It was not until my Sophomore year of High School that I finally realized that I knew nothing about my religion. I took a online test to see "what faith are you?", which was produced be Beliefnet.com. My mom happened to see me taking the test, and when the question came-What do you believe God is?:
a. There is only one God and there is nothing like him
b. God Incarnates in some form human or otherwise
c. Not really sure
d. there is no God

I picked "A", which to my mother's surprise was obviously very unChristian. I would later find by talking to her afterwards that Christians believed that Jesus Christ, was literally God in the flesh, but also the Son of God, and also the 2nd person of the Trinity. I, to my horror, was completely ignorant of such things, and suddenly realized I knew NOTHING about Catholic of Christian theology. I set out at once to learn what I had been ignorant of most of my childhood. I first read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other books on Christian Theology. Here I learned that Jesus was God Incarnate, the Son of God, and also learned about the Trinity. Even during this time, I found these concepts very confusing and at times hard for me to wrap my head around. I kept thinking to myself 'if God wants us to know about him, why does he reveal himself in such a confusing way?' However I did not give up and decided that year I was going to read the entire Bible, from start to finish, and that is exactly what I did.

Reading the entire Bible is no party let me tell you that right now. If you manage to get through the Torah then you are hit by the Historical books like 1 and 2nd Chronicles and Kings which are full of dull history and geneologies which could drive someone insane. However once passed the Historical books and into the Writings and Prophets it was a piece of cake. I also did research on other faiths during this time, but getting through the Bible was my main focus. I finally made it to the New Testament and finished it amazed. It was probably one of the most amazing events in my life, to read the entire Holy Bible. However amazement was not the only reaction I had.
I'll never forget reading the Book of Joshua and seeing how God ordered the Israelites to kill EVERYONE in certain Pagan lands just because that land was theirs. This was totally a contradiction to how I was raise to view God, which was full of love and kindness. This seemed like a totally different deity, but I also couldn't wrap my head around why God would actually sanction such horrible things. That is when my faith in the Bible began to crack. What also got me was the blatant absence of Christian Theology in the Bible as a whole. No where to be found where there verses that taught clearly who Jesus Christ was, and what his relationship to God was as well. Furthermore the lack of Theological passages talking about the Trinity as an actual concept was absent. This troubled me, and when I read the writings of the early Church Fathers (the first being The Confessions and The City of God by St. Augustine and also The Incarnation of the Word of God, by St. Athanasius), I realized that these theological precepts did not come from the Bible, but from these men. The Christian dogma was founded by the writings of men, that had no firm bases at all in the Bible. Therefore it was not God who was teachings these things, but men, not even Jesus Christ. That is when I left Christianity and became a Agnostic.

My period of Agnosticism(or as my best friend would call it) my period of "Christian only by name", was from my Sophomore year to my Senior year of High School. During that time I read on every major world religion, reading every major scripture as well. I read it all, I first read books on early Christianity, any book I could get my hands on. I still own the large multiple page list of books that I read in High school and trust me that list is ever growing, sometimes I even forget to write titles down. Huston Smith was a huge gateway to knowledge his book World Religions really taught me to look at each faith and scripture on its own merit and to respect all religions regardless if you belong to one, and I still try to maintain that to this day. I looked into Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confusicism, Judaism, Christianity, Satanism, Pagan faiths, Anamistic, Shamanism, even Scientology and Mormonism. I read all there respected scriptures, except for the books about Scientology I must confess did not reach my eyes at that time. However I felt well grounded and well read, more so then most people I met who had not even fully read THEIR respected text.
During senior year I read Misquoting Jesus, and this book seriously changed my view of the Bible forever. I still respected the Bible, and still do to this day, even though I am not a Christian. However I never bothered to think about the physical text of the Bible, and Bart Eharman's book taught me that the present Bible we have today is full of corruptions and errors that made the book very questionable. This further cemented me away from Christianity now that the text itself was something that could not be relied upon.

My first encounter with the Quran was when I bought my first copy at the used bookstore in town. It was during senior year, I saw it, knew what it was, and that bought a copy, because hey, I didn't own it. I brought it home and it sat on my shelf for weeks.

That was until I read Rumi. Rumi, the famous Muslim poet, caught my attention when I was surfing the internet. I read his poems and how he talked about God, and I found his poems hit me square in the, well the heart. I wanted to know what religion is this guy? Because surely a person who is talking like this, speaking in this way, must be in the right place. That is when I first found Islam. It of course was a faith I new about, but I wanted to know more about it, why was Rumi apart of it, and what was so special about this religion. So I did what I do best, I studied my brain out on the subject. Read the Quran in one week, and it was totally speaking about theology the way I had always wanted. Respecting and believing in ALL Prophets and only believing in ONE God. Jesus was just a Prophet, which sounded fine to me considering I had seen nothing contrary to this in the Bible. I read up on the life of the Prophet Muhammad and was amazed by his story, his life, and all that he did. I read beginners guides to Islam and then moved onto more extensive books. Totally engrossed myself in the religion. However I still was not sure if I Islam was it for me. I mean it sounded good, theologically grounded, and seemed to be the perfect fit. But I was in need of more convincing.

That was when I first saw Sheikh Amed Deedate on Youtube. I watched ALL of his lectures and debates, along with Dr. Zakir Naik. These men both found me challenging long held beliefs and for the first time in awhile, going back to the Bible to see if what they were saying was the truth. They brought Islam to life for me, not just in books, but seeing real people talking about theological concepts. I read the Bible and Quran side by side, and found the Quran winning on every topic, and saw the Bible sinking further and further away. That was when I realized that Islam was the religion for me. So one night, sitting at my desk I said to myself in English and Arabic: "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger". I had become a Muslim at 17 years old.

After entering Islam I told my friends and most of my family who showed me love and support and I am still thankful to them all. They made the conversion process very easy. I learned to pray, did my fist Ramadan and gave to charity. I read more books on Islam and also on on other faiths as well, I still to this day do this, and will probably never stop. Studying comparative religion has become my hobby and one of my greatest pleasures. I enjoy talking to people about religion, regardless of the topic. My best friend is an Atheist, and yet we respect each other and can talk to each other about Theism and Atheism. I would like to thank him for teaching about Atheism and showing me to also respect those outside of the great World Religions.

I quickly become part of the Islamic community, online and in person. Creating a Youtube account and also speaking on Stickam I have had the honor to meet many great people from ALL backgrounds, and also created many friendships. Youtube has been a lot of fun, and I have learned so much, and also learned that every misconception regarding Islam can and is refuted, further cementing my faith in it. I also have done many lectures at my college, which of coursed enhanced my faith and experience.

During my journey I could very well have become an Agnostic, Atheist, Jew, or Buddhist, trust me at one time one of those did seem like the right path. It is funny now that I write this, that this whole adventure was sparked by a online quiz on the internet, asking me what my faith was. Even more funny was at that time, even though I didn't know anything about it, the final answer when the quiz was finished was one religion that quiz thought I was most likely apart of. The answer was:Islam
I guess Allah does work in funny ways after all.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Adam

Responding to the article by Ahmadsquran3 entitled "Adam"
By Ozzycda

It never ceases to amaze me how much misinformation and outright lies one person can put into a article. Yet this is what we have in this article that I will be responding to regarding the subject of Adam(peace be upon him) in Islam.

HE Wrote:
According to the Bible, Adam (Man) was created from dust just as the following Quranic verse re-iterates. If this is the case, why then did the angel Gabriel deceive Muhammad by telling him that he was created from Alaq, meaning a blood clot or a leech?

My Response:
So according to our friend there is a apparent contradiction. He says above that the Quran DOES say that Adam was created from dust and therefore is in line with the Bible. However he claims that Surah 96 is referring to the creation of Adam as well, that he was created from Alaqa and therefore is against the Bible, and is also contradicting the Quran itself. For this theory to even be fact, our friend would have to prove that the Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) or the the companions taught that Allah swt is actually referring to Adam in Surah 96.

Let us first look at the Surah and the relevant verses in their proper context:

Al-Alaq
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), (1) He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) (2) Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. (4) He has taught man that which he knew not. (5)

So we can see from the above that Prophet Adam(peace be upon him) is not mentioned at all. It is referring in the generic sense that Allah created man from a clot(Alaqa). If this was truly referring to Adam then Adam would have to have been BORN, and gone through the embryological stages that a being goes through in its mother's womb, yet not a single Jew, Christian or Muslim believes that Adam was created in this fashion. So therefore based on LOGIC and theological understanding one could easily see that this chapter is NOT referring to Adam. Let us look at what the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir says on this subject:

The Honor and Nobility of Man is in His Knowledge

These Ayat inform of the beginning of man's creation from a dangling clot, and that out of Allah's generosity He taught man that which he did not know. Thus, Allah exalted him and honored him by giving him knowledge, and it is the dignity that the Father of Humanity, Adam, was distinguished with over the angels. Knowledge sometimes is in the mind, sometimes on the tongue, and sometimes in writing with the fingers. Thus, it may be intellectual, spoken and written. And while the last (written) necessitates the first two (intellectual and spoken), the reverse is not true. For this reason Allah says,

[اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الاٌّكْرَمُ - الَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ - عَلَّمَ الإِنسَـنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ]

(Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.) There is a narration that states, "Record knowledge by writing.'' There is also a saying which states, "Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him inherit knowledge that he did not know.'

So again Adam is NOT mentioned as being the one who was created from a clot(Alaqa). In fact the Tafsir is clear on comparing man(as in all of humanity) with our mutual father ADAM as being distinguished but not being created in the same fashion as his progencey. So therefore the above claim made by our friend seems to run stale.

He wrote:
Either way, they do not correspond to the Biblical record nor to the science of biology, especially since the followers of Muhammad assert, that the Quran contains ALL knowledge that a human being needs to know.

My Response:
Well as I just proved above that the story of Adam DOES correspond to the Biblical record. However what is this statement about the verses do not correspond to science of biology? I would encourage all of you to look at the following information to see Science and the Quran:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw3do0TLv6o
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Science/
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Science/Embryo/

Also I have NEVER heard a Muslim scholar or layman say that the Quran is a science textbook or a biology textbook. To reference Dr. Zakir Naik "The Quran is not a book SCIENCE but a book of SIGNS." To make claims for the Muslim's attitude about the Quran shows a great amount of arrogance regarding the topic.

HE Wrote:
As usual in the Quran, his story is not 'told' in detail and what is 'recited' contradicts many important items that are described in the original story in the Hebrew Bible.

My Response:
Well if our friend is referring to his claims above, they have been refuted. If he is referring to OTHER supposed issues I would love to see them.

HE Wrote:
By the way, Adam's wife Eve, the 'Mother of Humaity' is not mentioned at all anywhere in the Quran.

My Response:
This is an amazing lie on the part of our friend. Lets look at what Quran and the scholars say about Adam and his WIFE. Notice are friend says that Eve is not mentioned at ALL in the Quran. Really? Lets take a look at the Quran and the Tafsirs:

Al-Araf
O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression." (19) Then began satan to whisper suggestions to them, in order to reveal to them their shame that was hidden from them (before): he said "Your Lord only forbade you this tree lest ye should become angels or such beings as live forever." (20) And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser. (21) So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the Garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that satan was an avowed enemy unto you?" (22) They said: "our Lord! we have wronged our own souls: if Thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy we shall certainly be lost." (23)

Amazing the above verse says that Adam should dwell in the garden WITH HIS WIFE. Hmmm I wonder who that would be? Lets see what the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir says:

Shaytan's Deceit with Adam and Hawwa' and Their eating from the Forbidden Tree

Allah states that He allowed Adam and his wife to dwell in Paradise and to eat from all of its fruits, except one tree. We have already discussed this in Surat Al-Baqarah. Thus, Shaytan envied them and plotted deceitfully, whispering and suggesting treachery. He wished to rid them of the various favors and nice clothes that they were enjoying.

[وَقَالَ]

(He (Shaytan) said) uttering lies and falsehood,

[مَا نَهَـكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ إِلاَ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ]

("Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels...'') meaning, so that you do not become angels or dwell here for eternity. Surely, if you eat from this tree, you will attain both, he said. In another Ayah,

[قَالَ يـَادَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لاَّ يَبْلَى]

(Shaytan whispered to him, saying: "O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away'') [20:120]. Here, the wording is similar, so it means, `so that you do not become angels' as in;

[يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ أَن تَضِلُّواْ]

((Thus) does Allah make clear to you (His Law) lest you go astray. ) [4:176] meaning, so that you do not go astray, and,

[وَأَلْقَى فِى الاٌّرْضِ رَوَاسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ]

(And He has affixed into the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you;) [16:15] that is, so that the earth does not shake with you.

[وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ]

(And he Qasamahuma), swore to them both by Allah, saying,

[إِنِّي لَكُمَا لَمِنَ النَّـصِحِينَ]

("Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.'') for I was here before you and thus have better knowledge of this place. It is a fact that the believer in Allah might sometimes become the victim of deceit. Qatadah commented on this Ayah, "Shaytan swore by Allah, saying, `I was created before you, and I have better knowledge than you. Therefore, follow me and I will direct you.'''

[فَدَلَّـهُمَا بِغُرُورٍ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا الشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَنَادَاهُمَا رَبُّهُمَآ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَن تِلْكُمَا الشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُل لَّكُمَآ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَـنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ - قَالاَ رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ ]

(22. So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called out to them (saying): "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Shaytan is an open enemy unto you'') (23. They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.'') Ubayy bin Ka`b said, "Adam was a tall man, about the height of a palm tree, and he had thick hair on his head. When he committed the error that he committed, his private part appeared to him while before, he did not see it. So he started running in fright through Paradise, but a tree in Paradise took him by the head. He said to it, `Release me,' but it said, `No, I will not release you.' So his Lord called him, `O Adam! Do you run away from Me' He said, `O Lord! I felt ashamed before You.''' Ibn Jarir and Ibn Marduwyah collected this statement using several chains of narration from Al-Hasan from Ubayy bin Ka`b who narrated it from the Prophet . However, relating the Hadith to Ubayy is more correct. Ibn `Abbas commented on the Ayah,

[وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ]

(And they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise.) "Using fig leaves.'' This statement has an authentic chain of narration leading to Ibn `Abbas. Mujahid said that they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise, "Making them as a dress (or garment).'' Commenting on Allah's statement,

[يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا]

(Stripping them of their raiment) [7:27] Wahb bin Munabbih said, "The private parts of Adam and Hawwa' had a light covering them which prevented them from seeing the private parts of each other. When they ate from the tree, their private parts appeared to them.'' Ibn Jarir reported this statement with an authentic chain of narration. Abdur-Razzaq reported from Qatadah, "Adam said, `O Lord! What if I repented and sought forgiveness' Allah said, `Then, I will admit you into Paradise.' As for Shaytan, he did not ask for forgiveness, but for respite. Each one of them was given what he asked for.'' Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim commented,

[رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ]

("Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.'') "These are the words that Adam received from his Lord.''


[قَالَ اهْبِطُواْ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ وَلَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَـعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ - قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ ]


So we can see from the above that not only are the scholars aware of the name of the Adam's wife in Islamic Tradition we know that the Quran teaches and MENTIONS Eve the WIFE of Adam(peace be upon them both).

HE Wrote:
3: 59 This similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam: He created him from dust (Tturab) then said to him: "Be" and he was.

*** The reader should be made aware of the total falsities imbedded in the above verse.

Firstly, Jesus was definitely not created from dust since he was born from a woman as the Gospels - which are after all the primary sources - describe.

It is certainly not up to Muhammad's Quran - which was written over 635 years after the original events - to change the story, pervert it to suit its agenda and, adding insult to injury, claim that its version is the truth, based only upon the uncorroborated say so, of an unlearned and allegedly illiterate man, called Muhammad.

My Response:
Again our friend is making claims about the Islamic position that are not actually the Muslim point of view on these subjects. The Quran does not teach that Jesus was created from dust, this is clearly speaking of Adam. The comparison is not which material the prophet's were made out of, but the miracle that both Jesus and Adam were created by a supernatural fashion i.e. BE and they both were. My evidence for this is from Ibn Kathir:

The Similarities Between the Creation of Adam and the Creation of `Isa

Allah said,

[إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِندَ اللَّهِ]

(Verily, the likeness of `Isa before Allah) regarding Allah's ability, since He created him without a father,

[كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ]

(is the likeness of Adam), for Allah created Adam without a father or a mother. Rather,

[خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ]

(He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: "Be!'' and he was.)

Therefore, He Who created Adam without a father or a mother is able to create `Isa, as well, without a father. If the claim is made that `Isa is Allah's son because he was created without a father, then the same claim befits Adam even more. However, since such a claim regarding Adam is obviously false, then making the same claim about `Isa is even more false.

Furthermore, by mentioning these facts, Allah emphasizes His ability, by creating Adam without a male or female, Hawa' from a male without a female, and `Isa from a mother without a father, compared to His creating the rest of creation from male and female. This is why Allah said in Surah Maryam,

[وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ ءَايَةً لِّلْنَّاسِ]

(And We made him a sign for mankind) [19: 21].

Allah said in this Ayah,

[الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلاَ تَكُنْ مِّن الْمُمْتَرِينَ ]

((This is) the truth from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt.) meaning, this is the only true story about `Isa, and what is beyond truth save falsehood Allah next commands His Messenger to call those who defy the truth, regarding `Isa, to the Mubahalah (the curse).


So therefore Muhammad changed NOTHING 635 years after the fact, but rather it is Ahmadsquran3 that is changing the stance of Islam on this matter.

HE Wrote:
Secondly, according to the Bible - which is obviously the original source of the creation story that the Quran is plundering - although it is true that Adam was moulded from dust, he was non the less, not given life by the word of God, BE, but by God breathing life into his nostrils as described in:

Genesis 2:" 7 And God formed Man from the dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living being"

My Response:
Ahmadsquran3 makes the claim that the Quran is in error because it states that Adam was created from the word BE and he was. He quotes Genesis to attempt to prove that Adam was given life not by being formed from dust but by God breathing life into him. Let us first discuss the concept of the WORD or BE being used in creation. I am surprised that our friend has forgotten the pattern by which God creates ANYTHING, by saying LET THERE BE and it was. Also with the teachings of Philo, later ripped off by early Christianity, the concept of the LOGOS or the WORD being used as a tool by God to create everything is a known fact in theology. Therefore there is nothing wrong with the Quran saying that WORD is BE during God's creation of anything.
But our friend is ALSO wrong about implying that the Quran does not teach that God breathed life into Adam's body. Let us see the verses below:

Al-Hijr
We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape; (26) And the Jinn race, We had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind. (27) Behold! Thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create man, from sounding clay from mud moulded into shape; (28) "When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him." (29)

So the Quran as well as the Bible teaches that God breathed into him and this is what gave him life. Our friend is in error in telling Muslims they are wrong about this subject.

He Wrote:

Thirdly and moreover, since according to the Quran, the Torat was given to Moses by Allah, why then is its version different from that of the Quran?

How is it possible or even conceivable that the infallible Allah - if Allah is the God of Israel and Jesus - would give two contradictory versions of the same event? ***

My Response;
We find our friend using the authority of the Bible to prove the Quran wrong, yet he would have to assume that Muslims view the Bible as some sort of authority in our belief system. We do believe that the Torah WAS given to Moses(pbuh) but we believe that it was corrupted throughout time. So we do not believe that the current Torah is the same state it was in when God revealed it to Moses. In fact many Biblical scholars do not believe that the current Torah WAS from ONE person or source but by four different sources and peoples. See the following for that information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URt8UcuOTxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnX80nwRJY&feature=related
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/Bible/Origins_of_the_Bible/Authorship/Source_Criticism.shtml

So are Muslims alone in this belief? Nope not at all, in fact it has become scholarly FACT to assert the present Torah is NOT the Torah of Moses.
As I have proven above there is no contradiction or error and hence our friend's claims turn stale.

He Wrote:
96:1 Proclaim! (or Read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher Who created 2 Created man out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood

***In fact, the Quran describes several more very unusual forms of creation none of which are recited in the Bible.
{Click on Creation of Man in Definitions}.

My Response:
He claims that the Quran describes several unusual form of creation. Really? Unusual? See my sources above to show how "unusual" these claims our of the Quran. He again gives authority to the Bible by saying these descriptions are not in the Bible so therefore they must be wrong. Well perhaps his issue is that he using the Bible's claims, or lack thereof, regarding Science to criticize the Quran. See this source below with regards to the Science in the Bible:
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Sources/

He Wrote:
What is most disturbing, is the fact that the very first verse that was 'revealed' to Muhammad, by allegedly, the angel Gabriel, is a total lie **

My Response:
What is disturbing, as I said at the beginning of the article, is how many lies and misinformation can be put into one article. Now I hope the truth can be seen and falsehood can vanish as it always will vanish.