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Bismi Allah

(In the Name of Allah)

Part–6(iii) of 11

By Abul Kasem (e-mail address: nirribilli@gmail.com) October 28, 2006 [color=RED][i][A note of caution: The contents of this essay might offend some readers.][/i][/color]

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Allah is Amorphous-(iii)

Only Muhammad could see Allah’s angel Gabriel; none else could

The pagan Arabs believed in the angels of Allah. Their concept of angels of Allah was that they were apparitions, part human–shaped. When Muhammad made the preposterous claim that he had seen Gabriel, the archangel of Allah, the pagans insisted on verifying Gabriel. Nevertheless, Muhammad was adamant that Allah allowed only him to see Gabriel in its various forms. The Qur’an holds that Gabriel used to visit Muhammad every night during the month of Ramadan. Accepting that Muhammad’s Prophetic life was twenty–three years, and assuming that each month of Ramadan consisted of thirty days, we can easily calculate how many times Gabriel had visited Muhammad during his life time. This will be 690 times, at least. Now let us add the additional occasions when Gabriel had to consult Muhammad for Allah’s needs, I mean emergency situations,—we can safely use a round figure of 700 occasions when Gabriel had accosted Muhammad, either for a short appointment or for a prolong period. It is simply impla usible that none (sans Muhammad) could, at least for once, see Gabriel, who, according to Allah, does possess a physical shape. Muhammad’s such effrontery claim that only he had the ability to see a physical Gabriel did not go unchallenged. Many Arabs did put Muhammad in an extremely difficult position by asking him pertinent questions. Those discomforting questions had gravely embarrassed Muhammad. None the less, those questions were genuine and Muhammad had to come up with credible answers. Undaunted, he naturally turned to his fast friend, Allah. Let us read these ahadith from Sahih Bukhari to learn how Muhammad answered such questions. Note that the first hadith also tells us how Allah used to communicate with Muhammad. During Ramadan, Gabriel used to meet Muhammad every night to teach him the Qur’an…(Sahih Bukhari,1.1.5). [quote] [i]Volume 1, Book 1, Number 4:[/i] Narrated Said bin Jubair: Ibn 'Abbas in the explanation of the Statement of Allah. 'Move not your tongue concerning (the Quran) to make haste therewith." (75.16) Said "Allah's Apostle used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his lips (quickly) with the Inspiration." Ibn 'Abbas moved his lips saying, "I am moving my lips in front of you as Allah's Apostle used to move his." Said moved his lips saying: "I am moving my lips, as I saw Ibn 'Abbas moving his." Ibn 'Abbas added, "So Allah revealed 'Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad) the ability to recite it (the Qur'an) (75.16-17) which means that Allah will make him (the Prophet) remember the portion of the Qur'an which was revealed at that time by heart and recite it. The Statement of Allah: And 'When we have recited it to you (O Muhammad through Gabriel) then you follow its (Qur'an) recital' (75.18) means 'listen to it and be silent.' Then it is for Us (Allah) to make It clear to you' (75.19) means 'Then it is (for Allah) to make you recite it (and its meaning will be clear by itself through your tongue). Afterwards, Allah's Apostle used to listen to Gabriel whenever he came and after his departure he used to recite it as Gabriel had recited it." [/quote] Even Aisha, Muhammad’s dearest wife and the only person on whose bed Muhammad used to converse with Allah via Gabriel could not see Gabriel. Gabriel led prayer five times and he prayed with Muhammad…(Sahih Bukhari,[url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/054.sbt.html]4.54.444)[/url]. [quote] [i]Volume 4, Book 54, Number 444: [/i] Narrated Ibn Shihab: Once Umar bin Abdul Aziz delayed the 'Asr prayer a little. 'Urwa said to him, "Gabriel descended and led the prayer in front of the Prophet." On that 'Umar said, "O Urwa! Be sure of what you say." "Urwa, (sic) "I heard Bashir bin Abi Masud narrating from Ibn Masud who heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'Gabriel descended and led me in prayer; and then prayed with him again, and then prayed with him again, and then prayed with him again, and then prayed with him again, counting with his fingers five prayers." [/quote] Muhammad saw Gabriel in a cloud (lengthy hadith)…(see Sahih Bukhari, 4.54.454). Muhammad introduced Gabriel to Aisha but she could not see Gabriel…(Sahih Bukhari,5.57.112). [quote] [i]Volume 5, Book 57, Number 112: [/i] Narrated Abu Salama: 'Aisha said, "Once Allah's Apostle said (to me), 'O Aish ('Aisha)! This is Gabriel greeting you.' I said, 'Peace and Allah's Mercy and Blessings be on him, you see what I don't see' " She was addressing Allah 's Apostle. [/quote] Muhammad used to see things (Gabriel) that Aisha could not…(Sahih Bukhari, 8.73.220). [quote] [i]Volume 8, Book 73, Number 220:[/i] Narrated 'Aisha: (the wife the Prophet) Allah's Apostle said, "O Aisha! This is Gabriel sending his greetings to you." I said, "Peace, and Allah's Mercy be on him." 'Aisha added: The Prophet used to see things which we used not to see. [/quote] Muhammad told Aisha that Gabriel greeted her but she did not see Gabriel…(Sahih Bukhari, 8.74.270). [quote] [i]Volume 8, Book 74, Number 270: [/i] Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet said to her, "Gabriel sends Salam (greetings) to you." She replied, "Wa 'alaihi-s-Salam Wa Rahmatu-l-lah." (Peace and Allah's Mercy be on him). [/quote] When Muhammad met Gabriel in a bush Gabriel told Muhammad that whoever worships Allah, even if he is a thief or a sex offender will go to Paradise (lengthy hadith) (see Sahih Bukhari,[url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/076.sbt.html] 8.76.450, 451)[/url].

Allah could transform Himself into human limbs

Allah’s cleverness knows no bound. When Muhammad was continuously bombarded with thorny questions about his Allah, Allah, as usual, came to his rescue. He told Muhammad that He could easily transform Himself into human ears, hands, feet, and grips. Obviously those privileges were restricted only for the diehard believers (i.e., true Muslims, like the jihadists). We should have no problem in guessing the reason/s for such a clever move to placate the implacable foes of Muhammad. Allah becomes the ears, eyes, hands, feet and grips of a pious believer; Allah declares war against those who are hostile to a pious believer…(Sahih Bukhari, 8.76.509). [quote] [i]Volume 8, Book 76, Number 509: [/i] Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e. give him My Refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to disappoint him." [/quote]

Muhammad never saw Allah, he only saw Allah in his heart

Here is what Muhammad resorted to advance his theology. He back flipped completely from his stand of an anthropomorphic Allah, to a confused, amorphous, to a total denial that he had ever seen Allah in any form. Confronted with barrage of unanswerable questions and feeling extremely exasperated, he admitted that he only saw Allah in his heart—twice, to be precise. He also claimed that he only saw once Gabriel in his genuine shape. We need to read diligently the following ahadith to gauge the smartness of Allah and Muhammad. Muhammad did not see his Lord (Allah), Muhammad only saw Gabriel in his genuine shape covering the whole horizon…(Sahih Bukhari, 4.54.457). [quote] [i]Volume 4, Book 54, Number 457: [/i] Narrated Aisha: Whoever claimed that (the Prophet) Muhammad saw his Lord, is committing a great fault, for he only saw Gabriel in his genuine shape in which he was created covering the whole horizon. [/quote] Muhammad really saw the signs of Allah in a green screen covering the horizon...(Sahih Bukhari,6.60.381). [quote] [i]Volume 6, Book 60, Number 381: [/i] Narrated Abdullah: (regarding the revelation) Truly he (Muhammad) did see of the signs of his Lord; the Greatest!' (53.18) The Prophet saw a green screen covering the horizon. [/quote] If anyone says that Muhammad saw Allah then he is a liar...(Sahih Bukhari, 9.93.477). [quote] [i]Volume 9, Book 93, Number 477: [/i] Narrated Masruq: 'Aisha said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (6.103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: "None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah." [/quote] Muhammad saw Allah twice with his heart…(Sahih Muslim, 1.0334, 0335). [quote] [i]Book 001, Number 0334: [/i] It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that he (the Holy Prophet) saw (Allah) with, his heart. [/quote] [quote] [i]Book 001, Number 0335:[/i] It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that the words:" The heart belied not what he saw" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 11) and" Certainly he saw Him in another descent" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 13) imply that he saw him twice with his heart. [/quote] Allah wears a veil, only the Muslims will see Allah We read previously that Muhammad claimed everyone will see Allah the way we see a moon. But when Muhammad started out to reserve the exclusivity of the Muslims, Allah changed His mind. He told Muhammad that the only people worthy of ‘seeing’ Him were the Muslims. Here is a verse from the Qur’an in which we note how Allah plays a double game—in one hand He declares that He cannot be seen, in any form. On the other hand, to please the Muslims, He asserts that only the Muslims will see His real face. Allah will veil Himself (i.e., He will not show His face) from the unbelievers on the resurrection day); only the believers will see the face of Allah…83:15 [quote] [i]083.015[/i] [b]YUSUFALI:[/b] Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled. [/quote] To confuse further, Sahih Muslim tells us that Allah’s veil is His light. Let us read this hadith. Allah’s veil is His light…(Sahih Muslim, 1. 0344). [quote] [i]Book 001, Number 0343: [/i] Abu Musa reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was standing amongst us and he told us five things. He said: Verily the Exalted and Mighty God does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is the light. In the hadith narrated by Abu Bakr (instead of the word" light") it is fire. If he withdraws it (the veil), the splendour of His countenance would consume His creation so far as His sight reaches. [/quote] Allah will lift His veil to the inhabitants of Paradise…(Sahih Muslim, 1.0347). [quote] [i]Book 001, Number 0347: [/i] Suhaib reported the Apostle (may peace be upon him) saying: When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Hast Thou not brightened our faces? Hast Thou not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious. [/quote]

Allah is a Spirit (Holy Ghost)

That’s right. We might be surprised to learn that the Qur’an and hadith confirm one of the foundations of Christianity—that God (or Allah) is the Holy Ghost. Here is what Sahih Bukhari writes about the Holy Ghost. When some Jews asked Muhammad about spirit, he replied that the knowledge of spirit is with Allah (17:85)…(Sahih Bukhari, 1.3.127). [quote] [i]Volume 1, Book 3, Number 127:[/i] Narrated 'Abdullah: While I was going with the Prophet through the ruins of Medina and he was reclining on a date-palm leaf stalk, some Jews passed by. Some of them said to the others: Ask him (the Prophet) about the spirit. Some of them said that they should not ask him that question as he might give a reply which would displease them. But some of them insisted on asking, and so one of them stood up and asked, "O Abu-l-Qasim ! What is the spirit?" The Prophet remained quiet. I thought he was being inspired Divinely. So I stayed till that state of the Prophet (while being inspired) was over. The Prophet then said, "And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the spirit --Say: The spirit -- its knowledge is with my Lord. And of knowledge you (mankind) have been given only a little)." (17.85) [/quote] In case we are confused and misunderstood what Allah meant, here is what the Islamic scholars, Drs Hilali and Muhsin Khan write on 4:171 where Allah’s spirit is mentioned. First, let us read verse 4:171 [quote] [i]004.171[/i] [b]YUSUFALI:[/b] O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. [/quote] The commentary by these two scholars of Islam is quite lengthy. I shall quote only the relevant part: [quote] (V.4.171) Ruh–ullah: According to the early religious scholars from among the Companions of the Prophet and their students and the Mujtahidin, there is a rule to distinguish between the two nouns in the genitive construction.a) When one of the two nouns is Allah, and the other is a person or a thing, e.g., Allah’s House (Bait–ullah); Allah’s Messenger (Rasul–ullah); and Allah’s slave (‘Abdullah); Allah’s spirit (Ruh–ullah), the rule for the above words is that the second noun, e.g., house. Messenger, slave or spirit is created by Allah and is honorable in His Sight, and similarly, Allah’s spirit may be as the spirit of Allah, in fact it is a soul created by Allah, i.e., ‘Isa (Jesus). And it was His Word: “Be!” and he was [i.e. ‘Isa (Jesus) was created like Adam]…(Hilali and Khan, 1996, p. 47, foot note 1). [/quote]

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END OF PART-6 To be continued in Part-7 (i)…