Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Assalamu Alaikum,
About QURAN THE FINAL TESTAMENT: BY RASHAD KHALIFA
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
With due respect, regard and love for everyone who prefers the eternal life to the fleeting life in this world, who accepts Almighty Allah alone as his /her protector and God, who practises regular salat and zakat leading a righteous life, may I note down a few remarks on the book-“Quran The Final Testament”. May Allah give us the patience and strength to keep an open heart to listen to the words and to follow the best in it and be among those guided by Allah (39:18).
It seems that the author of the book cited had been doing research on the meaning of words like A.L.M, which are not the foundation of the book, for more than four years. Allah might have given him some insight into its meaning and a few convincing facts brought to light. This is because, the provisions cited in 41:10 may include the needs and appetites of Allah’s creatures and the needs of enquirers as well.
But further reading shows that the scholar had been misusing his findings, to read his own meaning into Quran, instead of interpreting Quran with other related Quranic verses .He is found to have deduced the mathematical code and the common base “19” without any clear criteria like:
1. Using the number of occurrence of a word.
2. Using the sum of verse numbers.
3. Total number of verses.
4. Total no of verses in two suras.
5. Total no of suras.
6. Total of sura numbers.
7. No of alphabets.
8. Chronology of suras.
9. Gematrical value
10. Sum of sura number and number of verses.
11. No of times the lips touch each other.
12. Forming long numbers by writing numbers of verses next to each Other.
13. Arranging initialled suras and noting the position of a particular sura.
14. Adding Gematrical value of a phrase in Quran plus sura no plus verse no plus gematrical value of Rashad Khalifa .
15. Adding sura no. plus no. of verses in it plus gematrical value of Rashad khalifa.
16. Including the gematrical value of Rashad Khalifa at times and value of Rashad only discarding khalifa at times, if it suits his intent.
17. Adding sura numbers plus no of verses in each sura from starting to some other typical verse in Quran.
18. Excluding sura numbers and adding only the number of verses from beginning to some typical verse.
19. Adding value of Rashad Khalifa plus a typical sura number plus numbers of typical four verses in that sura.
20. Accepting the findings of coresearchers to support his arguments and acknowledging them.
21. Using the words Rashada ,Rashad and Khalifa picked up from here and there and accounting for Khalifa at times and discarding Khalifa as “another Khalifa”at times and trying to deduce the name Rashad Khalifa.
22. Theodore Robert Bundy’s name consisting of nineteen letters is cited as God given sign to support the argument that “Those who die before the age of forty will go to heaven “.Such claims and his attempt to interpret and remove verses from Quran, manipulating the common base nineteen to suite his intentions is totally unacceptable to common Muslims who have a long time contact with the meaning of Quran.
MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT
To quote few examples, compare the following phrase and clause used in 3:81 and 33:7.
The Phrase/clause used in verse 3:81 and in verse 33:7
1.Including you (O Muhammad) is Absent in 3:81 but A messenger to come afterwards & to testify all existing scriptures is Present in 3:81
2.A messenger to come afterwards & to testify all existing scriptures is absent in 33:7 but Including you (O Muhammad) is present in 33:07
Verse no 33:7 includes the phrase “Including you (Muhammad)”and it does not contain the clause “A messenger to come afterwards & to testify all existing scriptures”. Therefore the covenant cited in 33:7 is applicable to Prophet Muhammad also.
The covenant is not about a messenger to come afterwards but about questioning the truthful about their truthfulness (33:8) and to question the messengers and those who received the message (7:6).But verse no 3:81 excludes the phrase” Including you (Muhammad)”and includes the clause “A messenger to come afterwards & to testify all existing scriptures”.
Therefore the covenant in 3:81 is applicable to all prophets excluding Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as was foretold by Prophet Jesus in 61:6.
This covenant was fulfilled as per verses 6:92, 3:3, 5:48, 35:31, and 7:157 by Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).
Is it the scripture Quran that testify all existing scriptures or the explanation given for Quran by Rashad khalifa, that testify all existing scriptures? .In verses 6:92, 3:3, 5:48 and 35:31 etc., we find the scripture Quran testifying all existing scriptures. It is well understandable that if Quran is testifying all the existing scriptures, which means eventually Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger who testified all the existing scriptures as mentioned in 3:81.
MESSENGERS RECIEVED SCRIPTURES
Verse 41:43 implies that whatever has been revealed (told) to prophet Muhammad had been revealed (may be with slight variations) to the earlier messengers .Also verses like 3:184 confirms that all messengers received scriptures.
3:184 Then if they deny you, [O Muhammad] – so were messengers denied before you, who brought clear proofs and written ordinances and the enlightening Scripture.
FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM
Verse 13:43(Those who disbelieved will say “You are not a messenger”. Say,”Allah suffices as a witness between me and you, and those who possess the knowledge of the scripture”).Therefore as mentioned in 13:43 the Muslims who have knowledge of Quran do also bear witness that “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is Allah’s messenger“.
As cited in 3:7 those who possess intelligence will say “we believe in this (Quran)-all of it comes from God ‘’. The moment they (And those among future generations) realize that all of it is from God; they will spontaneously witness that this is sent by Allah through his messenger prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and proclaim “Muhammadur Rasul Allah”. How could an act of spontaneous out-pour from the heart of a Muslim who gain knowledge from Quran and acting accordingly as cited in 13:43 amount to idolatry? Especially when he believes that there is no divine protector or helper for him other than Allah.
An important point to be noted here is for providing witness that ‘there is no GOD except the one GOD’ even common knowledge is enough by looking in to the signs in the heavens and the earth as mentioned in 3:18 but for providing witness that Muhammad is God’s messenger it is essential that you should have the knowledge of the scripture as mentioned in 13:43.
In other words if you witness that ‘there is no GOD except the one GOD’ it means you may have general/common knowledge as per 3:18 but only if you also say “Muhammadur Rasul Allah” that confirms that along with general/common knowledge you also possesses the knowledge of the scripture as per 13:43.
In another angle we can say that who doesn’t witnesses “Muhammadur Rasul Allah” he is among the disbeliever and who does witness “Muhammadur Rasul Allah” is among the people who possess the knowledge of the scripture as per 13:43. Let us have a look in to both the verses which forms the first pillar of Islam…
[3:18] GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but Him, the Almighty, Most Wise.
[13:43]Those who disbelieved will say, “You are not a messenger!” Say, “GOD suffices as a witness between me and you, and those who possess knowledge of the scripture.”
Rashad Khalifa, who claimed to analyze every single alphabet in Quran should have noticed the identity of verse 13:43 with the common code 19, but he might have ignored it because it contradicted with his own verdict that proclaiming the second part of shahaadah (“Muhammadur Rasul Allah”) is an act of idolatry.
He also states that the verse no 63:01 is the only place in Quran where the statement “Muhammad is Allah’s messenger” is made as an witness and only hypocrites make such a witness. Actually the verse 63:1 states – when the hypocrites come to you, they say “we witness that you are messenger of Allah”. Allah Knows that you are His messenger and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.
By endorsing the statement of the lying hypocrites (63:01) against the witness of Allah and those who possesses the knowledge of the scripture (13:43) the author is attempting to brand all Muslims who witnesses “Muhammed (PBUH) is Allah’s messenger “as hypocrites. Allah knows very well that the hypocrites are dishonest because they utter only lip-service by hiding their evil thoughts and disbeliefs.
Here another important point has to be noted and that is, in 63:01 Allah doesn’t says that witnessing Muhammadur RasulAllah is false but Allah clearly mentions that, those who said that statement in that particular incident are munafiqs since they were liars in their claims. Also through the verse number 63:01 we can realize that, anyone who wants to be a believer, he has to witness that Muhammad is a messenger. For further proof please see the following verse…
[3:86] Why should GOD guide people who disbelieved after believing, and after witnessing that the messenger is truth, and after solid proofs have been given to them? GOD does not guide the wicked.
Verse 3:86 makes it clear that once a community has been given solid proof, first it has to believe in it and then it has to bear/bore witness that the messenger is the truth , and it should never turn back to disbelief in order to be guided by GOD.
The munafiqs are mentioned in Quran as liars because they say something which is not in their hearts. The following verses will make it very clear that why GOD says munafiqs are liars and it will also makes it clear that 63:01 is not the only place where they are mentioned as liars…
59:11 Have you noted those who are plagued with hypocrisy, and how they said to their companions in disbelief among the people of the scripture, “If you are evicted we will go out with you, and will never obey anyone who opposes you. If anyone fights you, we will fight on your side.” GOD bears witness that they are liars.
[3:167]And to expose the hypocrites who were told, “Come fight in the cause of GOD, or contribute.” They said, “If we knew how to fight, we would have joined you.” They were closer to disbelief than they were to belief. They uttered with their mouths what was not in their hearts. GOD knows what they conceal.
MAKING DISTINCTION BETWEEN ALLAH’S MESSENGERS
Argument 1: In 4:150,151 It is mentioned that those who seek distinction among Allah and His messengers and say, “we believe in some and reject some “and wish to follow a path in between are real disbelievers. Should we then hold Allah and His messengers in the same rank? Not at all .But we must believe in all messengers from Allah and that they all received basically the same message from Allah (41:43).
Argument 2: Verse 4:150 makes it clear that all the verses that says “make no distinction among the messengers” gives the one and only meaning which is, believing in some messengers and disbelieving in some other messengers even though they were all came with basically one message.
But Rashad came with a new argument saying if we witness Muhammadur RasulAllah (Muhammad (PBUH) is a messenger) then it means we are making distinction among the messengers. Now we have a question for everyone believes in Rashad and that is, when you believe in Muhammad whether you believe in all the other messengers or by believing in Muhammad you reject some of the messengers? In other words whether you started believing in all the other messengers after believing in Muhammad as a messenger of GOD or before you believed in Muhammad as a messemger of GOD?
Argument 3: Is there is any guidelines in Quran that says if you bear witness that Muhammad is a messenger then it indirectly means that you make distinctions among the messengers. Is there is any command in Quran that stops you from bearing witness that Muhammad is a messenger of GOD? Or is there is any command in Quran that stops you from bearing witness for any of the truth that you know?
Where did you get your proof from Quran that you can believe in something but you should not bear witness for the same? Kindly see the following verse which will confirm that you should bear witness for the one whom you find as a true messenger… [3:86] Why should GOD guide people who disbelieved after believing, and after witnessing that the messenger is truth, and after solid proofs have been given to them? GOD does not guide the wicked.
Argument 4: How can we treat the messengers whose names are not mentioned in the Quran equal to Moses whose name is mentioned more times next to Allah? Could anyone possibly treat a person whom he never knew same like a person whom he knows very well? Allah’s religion is full of logics and very simple to follow but Rashad’s misinterpretations are illogical and impossible to follow. Please see the following verse… [4:164] Messengers we have told you about, and messengers we never told you about. And GOD spoke to Moses directly.
Argument 5: Similarly verses 2:136,285 and 3:84 indicate that we should believe in all messengers since that they basically received the same message. See “What is said to you is precisely what was said to previous messengers” (41:43). Believing in all the messengers and treating them without partiality is possible only by understanding that they were all sent by Allah with the same basic principle which is “worship only your Lord”. We cannot possibly hold all of them in the same rank, because Allah Himself Has blessed some of them above others (2:253). Allah has also preferred some prophets above others (17:55).
Argument 6: In fact ,Allah together with Angels do send blessings (the meaning given by Rashad, as help instead of blessings is nowhere near the actual meaning) on believers(33:43) to lead them from darkness to light. The believers invoke peace upon Allah’s chosen servants (27:59) and on Allah’s messengers (37:181).They are also directed to invoke blessings on Prophet Muhammad (33:56) who is dearer to them than their own selves (33:6) and anything else they have (9:24). There is a good example, for those who place their hopes in Allah and hereafter and who remember Allah so much, in the prophet (33:21). Please remember that Rashad Khalifa has given the meaning “encouragement” in (9:103) “and contact prayers in” (17:110) for the same Arabic word which actually means prayers.
UNLETTERED PROPHET
Rashad Khalifa explains that according to (25:5) Muhammad wrote God’s revelations with his own hand and his contemporaries knew that he was a literate man who could read and write. Let us analyze the verses 25:4, 5 and 29:48.
25:4-Those who disbelieved said this is a fabrication he produced, with the help of some other people. They have uttered a blasphemy and falsehood.
25:5They (Disbelievers) also said,”Tales from the past that he wrote down; they were dictated to him day & night”.
29:48”You did not read the previous scriptures (from any book) before this, nor did you write them with your hand, in that case, the rejecters would have had reason to harbor doubts”
When the author says “Quran tells us that Muhammad wrote down the Quran”, Endorsing the comments of the disbelievers; the following points are to be noted.
1) It is not Quran but the unbelievers, who said “Tales from the past he wrote down; they were dictated to him day and night” (25:5)
2) Why should the author use the word contemporaries instead of “They” (the unbelievers cited in 25:4), misleading the innocent readers.
3) Allah clarify that the utterance of the unbelievers “this is a fabrication he produces with the help of some other people” is blasphemy and falsehood (25:4)
4) Does not the word “they” in 25:5refer to the unbelievers cited in 25:4 whose utterances are blasphemy and falsehood. The author is therefore endorsing the statement of the unbelievers whose utterances are ignored as blasphemy and falsehood by Allah.
5) Do verse 29:48(you did not read previous scriptures, nor did you write them with your hand); indicate that the prophet had read from and written down books other than previous scriptures?
6) Doesn’t the statement in 29:48 “in that case the rejecters would have had reason to harbor doubts” indicate that the prophet didn’t know how to read and write?
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