Science Talk

antraique · Guest

Islam provides only one prime source of information on Muhammad and the
formation of Islam written within two centuries of the time he lived and it
was conceived. Ishaq's Sira, or Biography, stands alone - a singular and
tenuous thread connecting us to a very troubled man and time. Over the next
two hundred years, other Hadith Collections were compiled by the likes of
Tabari, Bukhari, and Muslim. Their assemblages of oral reports, or
Traditions, were said to have been inspired by Allah. They purport to convey
Muhammad's words and example. They also explain the Qur'an - a book so
deficient in context and chronology, it can only be understood when seen
through the eyes of the Sunnah writers.

Throughout Prophet of Doom, I have been less concerned with the validity of
these sources than with what they have to say. Their message is all Muslims
have. Together, the Sunnah and Qur'an are Islam. Therefore, I was willing to
take them at face value.

But you don't have to dig very deep to find the truth. Even a cursory
reading of the Qur'an is sufficient to prove that it is a fraud. There is no
way the creator of the universe wrote a book devoid of context, without
chronology or intelligent transitions. Such a creative spirit wouldn't need
to plagiarize. He would know history and science and thus wouldn't have made
such a fool of himself. The God who created man wouldn't deceive him or lead
him to hell as Allah does. Nor would he order men to terrorize, mutilate,
rob, enslave, and slaughter the followers of other Scriptures he claims he
revealed, wiping them out to the last. One doesn't need a scholastic review
of the Qur'anic text to disprove its veracity. It destroys itself quite
nicely.

While that remains true, I believe that I owe it to readers, especially
Muslims, to explore the textual evidence for the Sunnah and Qur'an. I'll
start with what the Hadith has to say about the Qur'an's origins, but I'm
going to dispense in short order with the circular reasoning Islamic
scholars use in that they all quote the Sunnah. While there are Hadiths that
say Bakr tried to assemble the Qur'an and others that credit Uthman,
Muhammad's third successor, it's like using the results of Carbon-14 dating
to prove the validity of Carbon-14 dating. The source is the same.

In Bukhari's Hadith Collection alone we find a sea of disturbing and
contradictory claims regarding the compilation of Allah's book. There were
differing versions, even in Muhammad's day: "Ibn Abbas asked, 'Which of the
two readings of the Qur'an do you prefer?' The Prophet answered, 'The
reading of Abdallah ibn Mas'ud.' Then Abdallah came to him, and he learned
what was altered and abrogated." This is reasonably clear. The Hadith says
that portions of the Qur'an were conflicting, changed, and cancelled.

Tradition tells us that Muhammad had not foreseen his death, and so he had
made no preparations for gathering his revelations. He left it up to his
followers to sift through the conflicting versions. That's astonishing.
Islam's lone "prophet" left his Qur'an as vapor, sound waves that had long
since faded.

Bragging one day, the imposter called his surahs a miracle:
Bukhari:V6B61N504 "Muhammad said, 'Every Prophet was given miracles because
of which people believed. But what I have been given is Divine Inspiration
which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber
the followers of the other Prophets.'" If the Qur'an was his only "miracle,"
why would he leave it in such horrid condition? I believe the answer is
clear. Muhammad knew his recitals had been nothing more than a figment of
his less-than-admirable imagination, situational scriptures designed to
satiate his cravings. Preserving these recitals would only serve to
incriminate him, as this Hadith suggests. Muslim: C24B20N4609 "The Messenger
said: 'Do not take the Qur'an on a journey with you, for I am afraid lest it
would fall into the hands of the enemy.' Ayyub, one of the narrators in the
chain of transmitters, said: 'The enemy may seize it and may quarrel with
you over it.'"

A number of Bukhari Hadith suggest that Muhammad's companions tried to
remember what they could of what he had said, but there was a problem. Like
today, those who knew the Qur'an were militants. So Abu Bakr feared that
large portions would be forgotten. The best Muslims were dying on the
battlefield subduing fellow Arabs. In one battle alone, most of the Qur'an's
most knowledgeable reciters were lost, and many Qur'anic passages along with
them. Bukhari:V6B60N201 "Zaid bin Thabit, the Ansari said, 'Abu Bakr sent
for me after the (heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of
Yamama (where a great number of Muhammad's Companions were killed). Umar was
present with Bakr. "The people have suffered heavy casualties at Yamama, and
I am afraid that there will be more casualties among those who can recite
the Qur'an on other battlefields. A large part of the Qur'an may be lost
unless you collect it." I replied to Umar, "How can I do something which
Allah's Apostle has not done?" Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me
to accept his proposal.' Zaid bin Thabit added, 'Umar was sitting with Abu
Bakr and was speaking (to) me. "You are a wise young man and we do not
suspect you of telling lies or of forgetfulness. You used to write the
Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur'an and
collect it (in one manuscript)." By Allah, if Abu Bakr had ordered me to
shift one of the mountains (from its place) it would have been easier for me
than the collection of the Qur'an. I said to both of them, "How dare you do
a thing which the Prophet has not done?"

Zaid declared that collecting the Qur'an's surahs would be an impossible
task. He said that it would be easier to move mountains than to turn
Muhammad's string of oral recitals into a book. The reason for this rather
troubling statement is obvious: Zaid's search for Qur'anic passages forced
him to rely upon carvings on the leg or thigh bones of dead animals, as well
as palm leaves, skins, mats, stones, and bark. But for the most part, he
found nothing better than the fleeting memories of the prophet's Companions,
many of whom were dead or dying. In other words, the Qur'an, like the
Hadith, is all hearsay.

There were no Muslims who had memorized the entire Qur'an, otherwise the
collection would have been a simple task. Had there been individuals who
knew the Qur'an, Zaid would only have had to write down what they dictated.
Instead, Zaid was overwhelmed by the assignment, and was forced to "search"
for the passages from men who believed that they had memorized certain
segments and then compare what he heard to the recollection of others.
Therefore, even the official Islamic view of things, the one recorded in
their scripture, is hardly reassuring.

Worse still, the Muslim chosen for this impossible task was the one in the
best position to plagiarize the Torah and Talmud. Moreover, it's obvious he
did. Remember: Tabari VII:167 "In this year, the Prophet commanded Zayd bin
Thabit to study the Book of the Jews, saying, 'I fear that they may change
my Book.'"

As is typical of the Islamic Traditions, the more one digs, the worse it
gets. Bukhari:V6B61N511 "Zaid bin Thabit said, 'I started searching for the
Qur'an till I found the last two Verses of Surat At-Tauba with Abi but I
could not find them with anyone other than him. They were: 'Verily there has
come to you an Apostle from amongst yourselves.'" [Qur'an 9:128] This is
incriminating. The 9th surah was the second to last revealed. If only one
person could remember it, there is no chance those revealed twenty-five
years earlier were retained. Furthermore, this Tradition contradicts the
most highly touted Islamic mantra: Most Muslims contend Uthman, not Bakr,
ordered the collection of the Qur'an a decade later.

And who knows what version they finally committed to paper, if in fact they
ever did? Bukhari:V6B61N513: "Allah's Apostle said, 'Gabriel [whom Muhammad
said had 600 wings] recited the Qur'an to me in one way. Then I requested
him and continued asking him to recite it in other ways, and he recited it
in several ways till he ultimately recited it in seven different ways.'" So
there were at least seven Qur'ans.

That wasn't the end of the confusion. In version two of the angelic recital,
Muhammad was the reciter, not Gabriel. Bukhari:V6B61N519: "In the month of
Ramadan Gabriel used to meet Muhammad every night of the month till it
elapsed. Allah's Apostle used to recite the Qur'an for him." Then, we go
from every night to once a year. Bukhari:V6B61N520: "Gabriel used to repeat
the recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet once a year, but he repeated
it twice with him in the year he died."

No wonder they couldn't remember who said what to whom. Bukhari:V6B61N549
"Allah's Apostle said, "The example of the person who knows the Qur'an by
heart is like the owner of tied camels. If he keeps them tied, he will
control them, but if he releases them, they will run away." To release
something you have memorized you would have to share it. So this Hadith is
apparently telling Muslims not to recite surahs for fear of losing them. And
speaking of losing it: Bukhari:V6B61N550 "The Prophet said, 'It is a bad
thing that some of you say, "I have forgotten such-and-such verse of the
Qur'an." For indeed, I have been caused to forget it. So you must keep on
reciting the Qur'an because it escapes from the hearts of men faster than a
runaway camel.'"

This frivolity is important because it exposes a lie that sits at the heart
of Islam. It's irrational to think God would shift from a reliance on
literate Jewish prophets to an illiterate Arab. The foundation of Islamic
teaching is based upon the notion that God chose Arabs because they had good
memories. Therefore, they reason, the Qur'an wouldn't be changed the way the
Bible was corrupted. All Islamic schools from Alazahr to Pakistan are
centered around this obvious lie. The Qur'an was forgotten; it was changed
and recited by so many people it was corrupted beyond hope before it ever
found paper. And since the Bible started out as words on a page, it has
remained true to its initial inspiration.

But it's worse than that. Muslims insist on confining the Qur'an to
Religious Arabic - a language which is so hard to learn with its complex
grammar and antiquated vocabulary, it's ranked second by linguists after
Chinese, as the world's least hospitable communication medium. Worse still,
even in Arabic much of the Qur'an cannot be understood because many words
are missing and others are nonsensical. It's not rational to think that God
would choose illiterate people and such a difficult language if he wished to
communicate his message to the whole world. It's like using diesel to fuel a
lamp and then hiding it in a swamp.

But there is a method to their madness. By confining the Qur'an to Religious
Arabic, Islamic clerics and kings can say whatever they want - and they do.
An Egyptian doctor who edited Prophet of Doom wrote: "You would be amazed
how they can distort facts to deceive others."

In keeping with the camel theme, Allah's divinely inspired messenger
announced: Bukhari:V6B61N552 "The Prophet said, 'Keep on reciting the
Qur'an, for Qur'an runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are
released from their tying ropes.'" In the interest of full disclosure, I
present: Bukhari:V6B61N559 "The Prophet said, 'Why does anyone of the people
say, "I have forgotten such-and-such Verses (of the Qur'an)?" I am, in fact,
caused (by Allah) to forget.'" It's a wonder anyone takes Islam seriously.

Continuing to cripple its own claim that the Qur'an was retained as Allah's
Pen wrote it: Bukhari:V6B61N561 "Umar bin Khattab [the second Caliph] said,
'I heard Hisham bin Hakim bin Hizam reciting Surat Al-Furqan ["Al-Furqan,"
the title of the 25th surah, has no meaning in any language.] during the
lifetime of Allah's Apostle. I listened to his recitation and noticed that
he recited it in several ways which Allah's Apostle had not taught me. So I
was on the point of attacking him in the prayer, but I waited till he
finished, and then I seized him by the collar. "Who taught you this Surah
which I have heard you reciting?" He replied, "Allah's Apostle taught it to
me." I said, "You are lying. Allah's Apostle taught me in a different way
this very Surah which I have heard you reciting." So I led him to Muhammad.
"O Allah's Apostle! I heard this person reciting Surat-al-Furqan in a way
that you did not teach me." The Prophet said, "Hisham, recite!" So he
recited in the same way as I heard him recite it before. On that Allah's
Apostle said, "It was revealed to be recited in this way." Then the Prophet
said, "Recite, Umar!" So I recited it as he had taught me. Allah's Apostle
said, "It was revealed to be recited in this way, too." He added, "The
Qur'an has been revealed to be recited in several different ways, so recite
of it that which is easier for you." If Muhammad were alive today and made
this statement, he would be branded an apostate, hunted down and murdered.
As we shall soon discover, he just contradicted Islam's holy grail.

Examining these Hadith we discover that the first "manuscript" wasn't even
in Muhammad's tongue, requiring it to be translated. Bukhari:V4B56N709
"Uthman called Zaid, Abdallah, Said, and Abd-Rahman. They wrote the
manuscripts of the Qur'an in the form of a book in several copies. Uthman
said to the three Quraishi persons, 'If you differ with Zaid bin Thabit on
any point of the Qur'an, then write it in the language of the Quraysh, as
the Qur'an was revealed in their language.' So they acted accordingly."
Because there was such confusion, Uthman ordered competing versions to be
burned. But by destroying the evidence, he destroyed the Qur'an's
credibility. Now all Muslims have is wishful thinking.

Since "wishful thinking" isn't sufficient, and since the Islamic Hadith is
more conflicting than helpful, I am going to turn to reason and fact to
determine what is true and what is not.

First, let's establish what Muslims believe so that we can direct our
attention to determining whether or not it is accurate, or even reasonable.
As evidenced by the official Islamic introduction to the Qur'an, Islamic
scholars contend: "The Qur'an is one leg of two which form the basis of
Islam. The second leg is the Sunnah of the Prophet. What makes the Qur'an
different from the Sunnah is its form. Unlike the Sunnah, the Qur'an is
quite literally the Word of Allah, whereas the Sunnah was inspired by Allah
but the wording and actions are the Prophet's. The Qur'an has not been
expressed using any human words. Its wording is letter for letter fixed by
Allah. Prophet Muhammad was the final Messenger of Allah to humanity, and
therefore the Qur'an is the last Message which Allah has sent to us. Its
predecessors, such as the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels have all been
superceded." Funny thing, though, the Allah-inspired Sunnah just confirmed
that the Qur'an used "human words" and that it wasn't "fixed letter for
letter by Allah." Muslims ought to read their own scriptures.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, including their own, Islamic scholars
contend that today's Qur'an is an identical copy of Allah's Eternal Tablets,
even so far as the punctuation, titles, and divisions of chapters are
concerned. Maududi, one of the most esteemed Qur'anic scholars said, "The
Qur'an exists in its original text, without a word, syllable nor even letter
having been changed." (Towards Understanding Islam, Maududi) Abu Dhabi,
another leading Muslim said, "No other book in the world can match the
Qur'an. The astonishing fact about this Book of Allah is that it has
remained unchanged, even to a dot, over the last fourteen hundred years. No
variation of text can be found in it." That's factually untrue, every word
of it.

The Qur'an says of itself: "Nay this is a glorious Qur'an, (inscribed) on a
Preserved Tablet." (85:21) "A Scripture Book, whereof the verses are
explained in detail; a Qur'an in Arabic." (Qur'an 41:3) "We have coined for
man in this Qur'an. (It is) a Qur'an in Arabic, without any crookedness
(therein)." (39:27) Richard Nixon tried that line too. It didn't work any
better for him than it does for Allah. Over the course of these pages you'll
discover why.