Monthly Archives: July 2014

What exactly DOES Quran & Bible say about alcohol ?

Posted on by ashsalman0

I am proud to be a Moderate British Muslim Christian who follows Jesus Christ.
Drinking a refreshing drink “Magnus” Pear Cider.

 

This is the most generally misconceived notion that is held by majority of the Muslim and non-Muslim population in the world. Let me address this subject and then open the forum for any intelligent discussion.

I am no scholar in Islamic history, Islamic law, Islamic jurisprudence and above all an expert in exegesis of holy scripture but can present you with facts and information that you can use to make your own determination on this subject.

The five Ayat (chapters) of the Quran that most directly address the consumption of alcohol are as follows:

1. They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great sin (dhanb), and some profit, for men; but the sin (dhanb) is greater than the profit.” (Quran : Al-Baqara; 2:219)

2. And from the fruit of the date palm and the vine, ye get out wholesome drink and food: behold, in this also is a sign for those who are wise. (Quran : An-Nahl; 16:67)

3. O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say…. (Quran : An-Nisa; 4:43)

4. O ye who believe! Intoxicants (alkhamri) and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination, Of Satan’s handiwork: Eschew such (abomination) that ye may prosper. (Quran : Al Maeda; 5:90)

5. Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: Will ye not then refrain? (antummuntahoon). (Quran : Al-Maeda; 5:91)

Quran does not use the word “prohibition” in the context of alcohol (khMr) anytime, anywhere. KhMr is the arabic term used for anything that causes intoxication.

In other words, alcohol has not been categorized as “haram” in the Quran.

Only three things have been categorized as “haram“.

These are :

(a) animals that die of any basis other than being sacrificed and eat upon mentioning
in the name of Allah
(b) blood of animals
(c) flesh of pigs.

What occurs after the life of the Mohammad only has Fiqah (full comprehension) and its consequential effects as its context. Islamic history just as the rest of human history is a matter of who wanted what as they dictated frameworks of social control through evolutionary constructs or lack thereof.

If Quran is your reference, then this is what the Quran states. Everything that happens after the life of Mohammad only has Islamic history and Fiqah (full comprehension) as its context. Anything that happens outside the realm of the Quran has no bearing in the context of exegesis.

For those who understand Urdu and Arabic, the word for refrain used in the Quran is “ijtinab. And for those who are more fluent in spoken Hindi or Urdu vernacular, the word for refrain is “PrHaez“.

Just as a left handed glove does not become a right handed one by any and all forms of Euclidean motion, neither does “ijtinab” become “haram“, “prohibited” or “forbidden” by any cognitively developed exegesis.

I read the writings of “religious scholars” who suggest that certain ayat (passages) of the Quran are or have been “abrogated” in favor of others since the Quran was revealed over a significant time period.

If the Quran is divine text then each and every word revealed from Allah is to be treated with equal respect and understood with cognitively and analytically formulated exegesis. The Quran is not a constitutional framework where clauses and amendments are abrogated to suit the wants of some or to force the interpretation and explanation to fit the needs of others.

We have Scholars coming out of our ear holes an still sects, factions and varying opinions within Islam – something is not quite right.

Sin (dhanb) and Crime are two different matters. Sin is between you and the divine.

No mortal may punish another for sin. Let the divine deal with it when that time cometh.

Crime is what you commit through acts which are repugnant to just and equitable laws for all members of so society. Sin should not be conflated with crime.

“They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great sin (dhanb) , and some profit, for men; but the sin (dhanb is greater than the profit.” (Quran : Al-Baqara; 2:219)

Still the Quran nowhere says that alcohol is haram.

We are to teach our children what God has taught us…That :

– Alcohol has benefits but it also has harmful effects (2:219).
– People can make a lawful trade from alcohol (16:67).
– If a person is intoxicated, he/she should never approach Salat (Prayer) whether it be spiritual or physical (4:43).
– The devil will attempt to utilize our consumption of alcohol in a negative way, so be extra careful from this potential weakness (5:90-91).
– In paradise we will also have alcohol, but without the negative side-effects/risks (47:15).

!
!

Let see what the Bible has to say about Drunkenness : 

Although moderate use of alcohol is approved in the Bible, drunkenness is strongly opposed in both the Old and New Testaments:

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. (Old Testament, Proverbs 20:1)

Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them! Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD, Nor do they consider the work of His hands. (Old Testament, Isaiah 5:11-12)

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. (New Testament, Luke 21:34)

Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. (New Testament, Romans 13:13)

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. (New Testament, Ephesians 5:18)

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (New Testament, Galatians 5:19-21)

Christian churches approve of moderate and responsible use of alcoholic beverages. Islamic Mosque need to be inspired by this and by their Holy Scriptures, there is always good & bad in all walks of society, let not judge the people with moderate values and let’s all integrate into society without these psychological oppressed beliefs that refashions many Islamic Muslims  in a man made inventions of HALAL (Permissible) & HARAAM (Impermissible).

Does the Qur’an deny the death of Jesus?

Posted on by ashsalman0

QURAN Confirms JESUS DIED and RAISED to HEAVEN

 

For Muslim Christians or just Christians the Qur’an is not from God and therefore not authoritative, so strictly speaking what it claims would change nothing.  However, Muslims claim it is from God and that it denies the death of Jesus.  I would like to ask them whether that is necessarily the case.


Quran : 4:157-158

Ninety percent of the time, my Muslim friends will immediately quote, “They killed him not, they crucified him not, but it was likened unto them [orit appeared into them]. They killed him not knowingly, but God raised him and God is the most merciful of merciful.” (Qur’an, Surah 4:157-158).

In their minds, this verse says that God would never have allowed a great prophet like Jesus to be crucified by His enemies.

 

But does this verse really say that Jesus did not die?

Is that how most Muslim scholars themselves interpret it? What does, “They killed him not knowingly,” mean? The fact of the matter is that there are different contradicting interpretations of this verse amongst Muslim scholars.

 

There are various ways of interpreting Surah 4:157-158. One of them would be to remember the Jews’ attitude toward Christ. When Jesus was taken to the Roman governor, they did not believe He was the Messiah. They wanted to get rid of Him. By saying, “They killed him not knowingly,” the Qur’an simply states that they killed Jesus without knowing He was the Messiah.

 

Another possible way to interpret the passage (Surah 4:157-158) is that the unbelieving Jews intended by the crucifixion of Jesus to shame Him in the eyes of the world. The death He would suffer would then destroy and invalidate His mission in the eyes of the world. However, the Jews failed to accomplish their goal. In fact, by the crucifixion, Jesus was glorified when God raised Him up to be with Him. He became the key figure of human history.

Throughout the years countless people have turned to Jesus Christ. Jews, Arabs, Asians, Europeans and people from all other nationalities and classes of society have experienced the life changing power of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

 

Conclusion? It is not possible – despite what people usually think – to reach a definite conclusion based on this single and ambiguous verse. Muslim scholars are unsure about the end of the life of Jesus on earth. They disagree about whether He died or was raised alive to heaven without dying. Any conclusion from Surah 4:157-158 asserting that Jesus did not die involves speculation and theory. In fact, there are other verses in the Qur’an which say Jesus was killed.

 

This is the first reference from Jesus that he will die.

 

Quran : Surah Maryam 19:33 

In this verse, Jesus is reported to say: “Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!” (Qur’an, Surah Maryam 19:33).

Quran: (3:55) Lo! God said: O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause thee to die (mutawaffeeka), and shall exalt thee (rafiu-ka) unto Me and cleanse thee of (the presence of) those who are bent on denying the truth; [….].

 

Let us continue:

Quran: (5:117) Nothing did I tell them beyond what Thou didst bid me (to say): ‘Worship God, (who is) my Sustainer as well as your sustainer.’ And I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelt in their midst; but since Thou has caused me to die (tawaffaita-ni) , Thou alone hast been their keeper.
Interpretation of the word ‘wafat‘: The key word here is “wafat” .

The most correct meaning of “wafat” is death, or take away soul.  If soul is taken away from a person, it is nothing but death. The problem arises with regards to this verse, when Muslims refuse to interpret the meaning of “wafat” as death.

 

Irony is that all scholars who translated the Holy Quran do agree “wafat“ means death.

 

Each and every scholar translated the word “wafat” as death in at least 20 different instances in their translations.  However, in this particular verse, they interpreted the meaning as ‘take away‘ and insinuate physical ascension.

Here are some of the verses in the Holy Quran where Allah used the word “wafat“.

The verses are 2:234, 2:240, 3:193, 4:15, 4:97, 6:61, 7:37, 7:126, 8:50, 10:46, 10:104, 12:101, 13:40,
16:28, 16:32, 16:70, 39:42, 40:67, 40:77, 47:27 etc.

You can look up these verses online, here is the link : http://quran.com/. Just type the verse under the search tab. If you want to take a look at the Arabic text in English, on the left side of page, click on under Language “English” then highlight “Transliteration”. You will see the word used “Wafat“

In  each of the instances, all these scholars translated the word “wafat” as death, or a word very close to death but none of them used a word to mean take away in alive condition.

We have Jesus speaking of his death in the cradle saying: “So peace is on me the day that I will die,” Quran: Maryam 19:33 And we have God telling Jesus: “I will cause thee to die and raise thee to Myself” Quran: al-Imran 3:55 And in last verse we have Jesus saying: “when Thou didst cause me to die” Quran: al-Ma`idah 5:117.

We see clearly from Quran that Jesus died and rise up to life and took up to heaven.

 Muslim scholars, who believe that Jesus did not die, find themselves in a dilemma at verses like this one. Many of them attempt to respond by saying that this is a future event. Jesus will come back to this world some day to do many great and wonderful things, and then He will die.

However, we read almost an identical passage in Quran: Surah Maryam 19:15 about Yahya (John the Baptist):

“So Peace on him [Yahya] (John the Baptist) the day he was born, the day that he dies, and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!”


Bible : Matthew 14,10–12 :

10 So John was beheaded in the prison,11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

Muslims recognize the fact that Yahya (John the Baptist) died and was buried.

I don’t know of any Muslim who would shift the death of Yahya (John the Baptist) to the future! All know that Yahya (John the Baptist) died. Therefore, following the plain meaning of the parallel verse, no one should shift the death of Jesus to the future. In fact there isn’t a single verse in the Qur’an showing that Jesus will return to die.

Yahya (John the Baptist) who died; the parallel statement clearly shows that Jesus also died.

 

Quran: Surah Al-Imran 3:55 and Surah Al-Maida 5:116-117

Another Qur’anic passage that speaks of the death of Jesus is Surah Al-Imran 3:55:

“Behold! Allah said: ‘O Jesus! I will take thee to Me [Arabic: mutawaffeeka, meaning ‘I will cause you to die’] and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection.’”

 

Still another is:“I (Son of Mary) was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up [Arabic: tawaffaitani, meaning, ‘caused me to die’] Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-Maida 5: 117).

 

These Qur’anic texts show that Christ died, even though they do not discuss how His death took place. Were the Biblical and other historic records of Jesus’ crucifixion untrue, we would expect the Qur’an to have many verses stating that Jesus did not die on the cross.

The truth is that, in more than 6,000 Qur’anic verses, there is not a single one that clearly refutes Jesus’ crucifixion.

 

Although Arabic is not my mother language and though I have read the Qur’an many times, I am not an expert in the interpretation of the Qur’an. However, I have tried to show that not all Muslim scholars deny the death of Jesus (as you may think)! The Qur’an contains very little material about what actually happened.

There are quite a few question marks over the real meaning of the above verses. So, there is extensive contradiction and confusion in what Muslim scholars have to say about the death of Christ.

Some have denied the death completely, and explained it as sleeping or death from having lusts; others have accepted the death but differed in their understanding of its duration: three hours, seven hours or three days!

Further more many Muslim’s are not aware of the verses below coming from the Quran that honors Jesus above all and is glorified by God as we must believe in him and we are told Jesus second coming on the day of judgement where he will take back his kingdom. 

“And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them;- ” Quran 4:159

“And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.” Quran 43:61

, Luke 21:27, NIV. “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

Bible, Hebrews 9:28, “So also Christ died only once as an offering for the sins of many people; and He will come again, but not to deal again with our sins. This time He will come bringing salvation to all those who are eagerly and patiently waiting for Him.”

Therefore, if you are to know the truth, you need to be open-minded and look somewhere else – at extra-Qur’anic evidence.

That is precisely the reason for this website!