They use verses of the Qur’an out of context, and seemingly, without knowledge as to the background to which they were revealed and that verses of the Qur’an are either literal or allegorical in meaning: “He it is Who has revealed the Book to thee; some of its verses are decisive –they are the basis of the Book– and others are allegorical. Then those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead, and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation” –(Qur’an 3:6. Please note, numbering of verses vary among translators of the Qur’an).
1. FLAT EARTH: Allāh reveals: “And the earth—We have spread it out and made in it firm mountains and caused to grow in it of every suitable thing”–(Qur’an 15:19. See also 20:53; 43:10; 50:7; 51:48; 71:19; 78:6; 79:30).
Answer: Allāh spreading out the earth does not refer to its shape; but the earth being so huge it appears flat with furnishings for our benefit. A person looking over his country as far as the eye could see will see his land as “flat.” Even people living at the east and west who are standing sideways and those at the extreme south who are standing downside up see their lands as flat like a “carpet.”
That Allāh says He spread out the earth like a “carpet.” So what! A carpet or fabric can be spread around a spherical object. Besides a carpet is something that beautifies and gives comfort. Thus, Allāh spreading the earth like a “carpet” simply conveys that He has made the earth attractive and comfortable.
That the earth is spherical: Allāh tells us: “(He is) Lord of the two Easts, and Lord of the two Wests”–(Qur’an 55:17).Muhammad Ali explains: “The two Easts and the two Wests signify the different points of the horizon at which the sun rises and sets at the summer and winter solstice.” And these two different points can only occur if the earth is spherical. Allāh tells us in His Qur’an 70:40 that He is “Lord of the Easts and Wests.” Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din explains:
“No one knew of the roundness of the earth in pre-Islamic days, but the Qur’an clearly hints at this when it speaks of numberless Easts and Wests. No one, in those days, could imagine a thing like that, seeing that they thought of one East and one West. Even certain religious scriptures gives ridiculous explanations of the setting of the sun in the West and its rising again from the East. The present division of the hemisphere into east and the West is a man-made barrier. But as in the course of the progress of Islam it had to assume a certain political importance, the Qur’an speaks of many Easts and many Wests. But if the earth be round, every inch of it is a new East and a new West. If, for instance, “B” is distant two hundred miles from “A” which, let us suppose, is situated to the West of “A” the sun will rise there some three minutes before it will rise at “B.” Similarly, it will set at “B” three minutes after it has set at “A.” If, therefore, we take two places on the hemisphere two hundred miles apart as rising and setting places for the sun, there will be thousands of Easts and Wests on the earth, thus confirming the truth of the Qur’an.” And establishing that the earth is not “flat” but ROUND/SPHERICAL. (Introduction To The Study Of The Holy Qur’an, p. 45).
The sun is 93 million miles away from the earth and almost 110 times the size of the earth; thus its light is diffused over a wide expanse of space.
Conduct this experiment. Place a book (flat earth) on a table. Hold a lighted flashlight (the sun) some distance away from the table and slowly raise it (simulating sunrise).You will see that light is spread over the entire top of the book (because it is a flat surface). Now place a ball (spherical earth) on top of the table and repeat the “sunrise” motion of the flashlight. You will see that only the portion of the ball facing the light is lighted (be-cause it is a sphere). Now have someone slowly rotate the ball. You will see that, at the two extremities of the light on the ball, every point that was dark becomes lighted and correspondingly every point that was lighted becomes dark. Thus every new point that is lighted is a new “east” and every new point that becomes dark is a new “west.” Thus we have “numberless Easts and Wests,” confirming the fact that the Qur’an teaches that the earth is a sphere.
Allāh also says in Qur’an 37:5 that He is “Lord of every point at the rising of the sun.” This is a universal fact considering that the sun, being ever-shining, never sets. Thus as objects rotate there is an ongoing rising and setting of the sun at “every point.”
Hazrat Ali, the fourth Caliph explains the creation of the earth (and this was in Seventh-century Arabia):
“Glory be to the Almighty God! An example of the greatness of His might and power and the extra-ordinary beauty of His art of creation is the creation of the earth itself. Out of a stupendous swirling, sweeping, extremely disturbed and turbulent mass of nebulous material (Qur’an 41:11 above) which was rolling and rotating in piles, upon piles. He solidified a dry and practically steady and motionless earth (when compared to the turbulent condition of the nebulous mass). Over this earth He created envelops over envelops of gases, which are seven in number and which are separated one from another. These gaseous envelops though overlap each other; yet each one is forced to occupy its own space, as if they are fixed in their places. This solid earth is so created that is covered by a bluish green mass of water –and it looks as if it floats on the huge volume of water. These deep oceans and seas are obedient to His orders, and movements of their waves and cur-rents are according to His decrees. On this earth he created solid mountains and fixed them in such a way that some of them are so high their peaks pierce the upper layers of the atmosphere and some of them have their bases planted in the deepest parts of the ocean, i.e., these mountains are raised higher than the surrounding lands around them and also reach into the bosom of the earth. These apparently sky scraping mountains acts as pivots, and with their help the slipping movement (floating of the conti-nents) was brought under control. Thus the earth (the continents of the earth) after passing through many upheavals and jolts steadied itself into its pre-sent form. This was necessary so that the solid mass of the land may not leave its place or may not tilt carrying into the sea the inhabitants living upon it.” (The continents may not float towards deep oceans and may not disappear into them –Refer Modern Geophysics and geodesic theories of (i) Causes of volcanoes and volcanic regimes (ii) Margins and land side portions of continents on the sides of oceans, and (iii) Causes of the poles changing their places).
“Glory be to the Lord Who raised the earth high and dry above the strong and turbulent seas after it had been submerged and made this earth as comfort-able and as happy for its inhabitants as if it was a cradle for a baby, and laid the crust of the solid and on the fluid mass of material beneath it. It is such a crust that it is steady and there is very little or no floating movement in it; heavy winds pass over it and raise waters of its oceans in the form of rain clouds.
Verily, in these facts (in the biography of this earth) there are lessons and warnings for those who fear the might and glory of the Lord”–(Nahjul Balagha, sermon 216, pp. 388-389).
Regarding the number “seven” as used also in “seven heavens” Muhammad Ali comments on Qur’an 2:29 which states: “He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. And He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven hea-vens; and He is Knower of all things.” Muhammad Ali:
“It is impossible to deal with the subject of the Quranic cosmogony within the limits of a footnote. But a few suggestions may be made here. In the first place, it should be noted that the word sab’a, which signifies the number seven, is also used in a vague manner, as meaning seven, or more, several or many(LL). According to LA, the Arabic equivalents of the numbers seven, seventy, and seven hundredare all used to indicate a large number by the Arabs: “The mention of seven and seventyand seven hundredis frequent in the Qur’an and the sayings of the Holy Prophet, and the Arabs used them to signify a large number and multiplicity”. Similarly Az explains the word sab‘ina, meaning seventy, as occurring in 9:80, as being “used to signify a large number and multiplicity, not indicating exactness in number”(LA). Hence the seven heavens may signify a large number of heavens. Secondly, the significance of the word sama’, which means only what we see aboveus, should not be lost sight of. R makes the meaning very clear when he says: “Every sama’, i.e. heaven, is a heaven in relation to what is beneath it and an earth in relation to what is above it”. Thirdly, in 65:12 it is affirmed that as there are seven heavens so there is a like number of earths, which corroborates the conclusion drawn above. Fourthly, the seven heavens are on one occasion called the seven ways(23:17), and in this sense the orbit of a planet may be called its heaven. In fact, this interpretation makes the significance of 65:12 very clear, for each of the seven earths will thus have a heaven for it. The seven earths together with our earth would thus make up the eight major primary planets of the solar system. Or, the seven heavens may be taken to apply to the whole starry creation, and the reference may in this case be to the seven magnitudes of the stars which may be seen by the naked eye. One point more may be noted here. The sama’ or the heavenis plainly called dukhan, i.e. smokeor vapour, in 41:11.” (Qur’an 65:12, as noted by MA, states: “Allāh is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof.”
Allāh also tells us that there is more than one world: “Praise be to Allāh, the Lord of the WORLDS”–Qur’an 1:1; 6:45, 71, 162; 7:54; 26:109, 192; 40:64; 41:9; 81:29; 83:6; among other places).
And that there are beings on other planets: “There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes to the Beneficent as a servant…And everyone of them will come to Him on the day of Resurrection alone;” “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has spread forth in both of them of living beings. And He is All-powerful to gather them together, when He will”–(Qur’an 19:93-95; 42:29).
Heavens refer not only to the sun and moon but to all objects: “And the heaven, We raised it high with power, and We are Makers of the vast extent.”–(Qur’an 51:47).
To emphasize, Muslims and even non-Muslims should have a copy of Muhammad Ali’s translation of the Qur’an, his preliminary notes and commentaries are a King Solomon’s mine of information, his translation can be viewed and perhaps down-loaded free online:
www.muslim,org. Muhammad Ali’s comprehensive and invaluable work The Religion Of Islam and The Early Caliphate, and Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din’s Introduction To The Study Of The Holy Qur’an, and his revealing book The Sources Of Christianity, and Open Letters To The Bishops of Salisbury & London may also be obtained from this site: www. muslim,org.
WikiIslam’s charge that the Qur’an/Allāh says the earth is “flat” is false and misleading.
2. HEAVEN/SKY IS A CANOPY: Allāh tells us in Qur’an 21:32: “And We have made the heaven a guarded canopy; yet they turn away from its signs.”
Answer: “Canopy” does not mean that the earth is flat and has a covering like a tent. That the earth is not flat is made clear by reading from verse 30 to 33: “Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, so We rent them …And We have made the heaven a guarded canopy…And He it is Who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. All float in orbits.”
A “canopy” is something that protects from one element or another, and in this instance “canopy” is used in a figurative sense. Muhammad Ali comments: “Arabia had its spiritualists, the astrologers and the diviners who pretended to have access to the secrets of heaven; for a full explanation of which see 67:5. They are told that they cannot have any such access. Or, the meaning is that revelation from God (called here heaven) is guarded against all attacks.”
And Qur’an 67:5 says: “And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We make them means of conjec-tures for the devils, and We have prepared for them the chastise-ment of burning.” Again, Muhammad Ali:
“The lamps with which the lower heaven is lighted, i.e., the stars, are made the means of conjectures regarding the future by the astrologers. Rujum is the plural of rajm, and explaining it IAth says: “Rajm means conjectures about what Allah has not stated ” (N). And classing the munajjim, i.e., the astrologer, and the kahin, i.e., the diviner, and the sahir, i.e., the magician, as one, he goes on to say: “Thus he (i.e., the Prophet, whose saying is explained) considered the astrologer, who learns about stars so that he may judge thereby, and attributes to them the effect of good and evil, to be a disbeliever” (N). Explaining these very words, Raghib says: “And rajm is used metaphorically to signify conjectures and surmises” (R). LL also gives this significance of the verse on the authority of Bd and TA: “We have made them to be means of conjectures to the devils of mankind, i.e., to the astrologers”. Thus the astrologers, who deceived people by telling them many things which they posed as having learned from the stars, are referred to here.”
3. HEAVENS AND EARTH A “CONTAINER”: Allāh reveals in Qur’an 21:16, “Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!”
WikiIslam states that “all that is between” shows that the Qur’an wrongly teaches that the heavens and the earth are a sort of “container” within which the entire Universe operates.
Answer: As Allāh is the Creator of all the worlds and whatever are in these worlds then, these creations being under Allāh’s Dominion, are in a sort of “container” within Allāh’s Power in which the entire Universe operates.
Isn’t Barack Obama the President of America from border to border and and “all that is between” them; even as far away as Hawaii and the Virgin Island? Isn’t the U.S. then a sort of “container” of these States and “all that is between”?
At one time Britain ruled some three-quarters of the globe –as one her sons is said to have eloquently put it: “The sun never sets on the British Empire” (or something like that). Wasn’t all these nations then “contained” by Britain? And wasn’t her Majesty “Lady” from Britain to British Guyana and “all that is between”?
So what if Qur’an 41:9-11 and 2:29 convey that the earth was created before the heavens? This does mean that Allāh made the earth “flat” (as already proven the Qur’an shows that the earth is spherical). Qur’an 41:9-11 states that Allāh “created the earth…Then turned He to the heaven.” This does not necessarily mean that the earth was created first eons before the heavens.
In Qur’an 2:29 Allāh states: “He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. And He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens; and He is Knower of all things”–(Qur’an 2:29). And Muhammad Ali comments: “Thumma generally denotes then or afterwards, and it is a particle denoting order and delay, but there are many examples of its use in which it implies neither order nor delay. According to Akh and other authorities, thumma has often the meaning of waw, i.e., and (LL). For the statement that the earth was made after the heavens, see 79:30.”
And 79:(27) to 30 states: “Are you the stronger in creation or the heaven? He made it (heaven). He raised high its height, and made it perfect…And the earth, He cast it after that.” And Muhammad Ali comments: “The word dahaa is ordinarily translated as spread or expanded, but it also means he threw or cast and impelled, propelled or removed from its place a stone with his hand (T, LL). Two things are made clear in this brief statement: (1) The earth was brought into existence after the heaven, or the starry creation; and (2) It was cast away, as a stone is cast away, from a bigger creation.”
Perhaps the “heaven” in our system was made before our earth (79:30), and the other “heaven(s)” was made after our earth was made (2:29; 41:11-12). Which would mean that the entire system of creation were done in two phases. And Allāh knows best. But one thing is for certain the Qur’an does NOT teach that the earth (or heaven) is “flat” like a “pancake.”
4. THE HEAVENS AND THEIR DENIZENS: Allah reveals in Qur’an 34:9: “See they not what is before them and behind them, of the sky and the earth? If We wished, We could cause the earth to swallow them up, or cause a piece of the sky to fall upon them. Verily in this is a Sign for every devotee that turns to Allah (in repentance).” And WikiIslam states, “the fact that they (heavens) are solid is shown by references to pieces of the heavens falling and poten-tially injuring residents of the earth.”
Answer. This is humorous. Aren’t the heavenly bodies “solid” masses? And can’t pieces fall on us? What about meteorites that come crashing to earth? What Allāh is telling the rejecters of truth is that He has the power to have them swallowed up (perhaps earthquake or flood) or sent objects from the sky to crush them. Muhammad Ali comments on this verse:
“This is the ever-recurring argument of the Holy Qur’an. The disbelievers deny the last Resurrection, the life after death, the sublime principle of the accountability of human actions, which forms the only basis of high morals, and they are told that, as a proof of the truth of the Resurrection, they will be brought low in this very life for standing in the way of the advancement of Truth. It is compared with the coming of a portion from heaven because they would not be able to avert it.”
WikiIslam continues: “In fact, they (heavens) are so substantial that it is even conceivable to climb up onto them using a ladder.” And it quotes Qur’an 6:35 (we are using Muhammad Ali’s translation here as WikiIslam did not quote the full verse, which we believe is needed to give a proepr response): “And if their turning away is hard on thee, then, if thou canst, seek an opening into the earth or a ladder to heaven, to bring them a sign! And if Allah pleased, He would certainly have gathered them all to guidance, so be not of the ignorant.”
Answer: Can anyone reach the heaven with a ladder? It is clear that the Prophet was aggrieved over the people not heeding the Divine Message. And Allāh is saying to him that if they would not believe the Divine Message (which is the best Message) then even if he were to bring them his own sign wherever he can find it –either in the earth or in the heavens– he cannot get everyone to believe. That only Allāh can bring all people into belief, if He pleases (but hat he has given man a free choice). Thus, it is not wise to grieve over the disbelievers. (Compare: “Then maybe thou wilt kill thyself with grief, sorrow-ing after them, if they believe not in this announcement”–Qur’an 18:6; 26:3. Such was Mohammad’s concern for his people. He even prayed for his dead enemy to be saved from Hell-fire).
5. HEAVEN SUPPORTED BY PILLARS: Allah revealed in Qur’an 13:2: “Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; is firmly established on the throne (of authority); He has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law)! Each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He doth regulate all affairs, explaining the signs in detail, that ye may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord.”
And WikiIslam comments “The authors here take it as obvious that the heavens require support of some kind. But their empha-sis is on their invisibility, not their actual absence.”
Answer: The words “that ye can see” refers to both invisibility and presence. The heavens, like the earth do have pillars/support, and they are invisible. These “pillars” are the centrifugal and magnetic forces or “laws of gravitation” that keep them from falling.
6. ALLĀH’S THRONE OVER WATERS: Allāh tells us: “He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days – and His Throne was over the waters – that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct. But if thou wert to say to them, “Ye shall indeed be raised up after death”, the Unbelievers would be sure to say, “This is nothing but obvious sorcery!” –(Qur’an 11:7).
Answer:Throne siginifies Power and water signifies creation. Allāh’s Throne being over water simply means that His Power extends over all things. Muhammad Ali:
“The meaning of ‘arsh (“Throne of Power”) has been explained in 7:54b…What is the relation between water and the manifestation of the Power of God, for which the ‘arsh stands? This is explained by the Qur’an itself: “And We made from water everything living” (21:30). Man is the highest developed form of life, and life is due to water. The great power of God which is manifested in the creation of man is thus connected with water. And as physical life grows out of water, so spiritual life grows out of revelation, which is so often compared with rain or water. God’s great power has thus been made manifest through water, and hence with the creation of the heavens and the earth is mentioned the fact that God’s Throne of Power is ever on the waters.”
(And MA explains 7:54b) ‘Arsh (“Throne of Power”) literally means a thing constructed for shade (LL), or anything roofed (R). According to the latter authority the court or sitting-place of the king is called ‘arsh on account of its eminence. And he adds: It is used to indicate might or power and authority and dominion. LL accepts the interpretation of R, who says that “the ‘arsh of God is one of the things which mankind know not in reality but only by name, and it is not as the imaginations of the vulgar hold it to be”. In fact, both the words ‘arsh and kursi have been mis-understood as meaning resting-places for Allah. The latter has already been explained as meaning know-ledge (2:255b), and the true significance of the former is power or control of the creation. Istawa signifies, when followed by ‘ala, he had the mastery or control of a thing or ascendancy over it, being synonymous with istaula (LL), or he was or became firm (LL). Thumma, as already shown in 2:29a, has often the same significance as waw and means and.
The phrase Istawa ‘ala-l-‘arsh (“He is established on the Throne of Power”) is used in the Holy Qur’an here and on six other occasions, viz., in 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4 and 57:4. A reference to all these places will show that it is invariably used after mentioning the creation of the heavens and the earth and in relation to the Divine control of His creation and the law and order to which the universe is made to submit by its great Author, as shown by the words that follow here, His is the creation and the command. The two things mentioned are, in the opening words, creation and ‘arsh, and in the concluding words, creation and command. Similarly in 10:3 where ‘arsh is spoken of after the creation of the heavens and the earth, it is followed by the explanatory words yudabbiru-l-amr, i.e., He regulates the affair. What is, therefore, aimed at is that after creating the universe, God has not left it to run its course independently of Him, but He it is Whose command holds sway and Who regulates the affairs as He has planned them. There are many people in this age of scientific advancement who think that, though the conclusion cannot be avoided that there is a God Who created this universe, Whom they call the First or Primal Cause, yet after its creation it runs its course according to certain immutable laws, and God ― or the First Cause ― has no concern with its affairs. The Holy Qur’an does not accept this view and hence, when it speaks of the creation of the heavens and the earth, it speaks also of the ‘arsh which stands for God’s control of the universe, as shown above. To make it further clear, the verse is made to end with the words tabarak Allahu Rabbu-l-‘alamin, i.e., blessed is Allah, the Nourisher of the worlds unto perfection. These words show that the world is still in the process of growth, and according to the Divine plan, it is advancing from one stage to another to attain its perfection. God has not only created it but He is also regulating its affairs to make it perfect.
In the words Rabb al-‘alamin there is also a deeper reference, as shown in 1:1a, to the spiritual evolution of man which is being worked out under the Divine plan, and the ‘arsh is mentioned specially in this connection, as man’s perfection does not consist in the working of the material laws which prevail in the universe but in the spiritual laws which are needed for his perfection. The amr (affair) whose regulation is so often mentioned in connection with ‘arsh is really the spiritual kingdom, what Jesus calls the kingdom of God. This is made clear in 32:5; see 32:5a. The spiritual perfection of man is specially mentioned in connection with ‘arsh in 40:15: “Exal-ter of degrees, Lord of the ‘arsh, He makes the spirit (i.e., Divine revelation) to light by His command upon whom He pleases of His servants, that he may warn (men) of the day of Meeting.” The Lord of the ‘arsh is thus clearly stated to be the Sender of revelation to man to bring about his spiritual perfection. Still more clearly in the same surah, the righteous servants of God who deliver the Divine messages to men are called the bearers of the ‘arsh. Speaking of the messages of the messengers of God and how the people give them the lie, it is added: “Those who bear the ‘arsh and those around it celebrate the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask protection for those who believe”(40:7). The bearers of the ‘arsh are, in fact, the bearers of the Divine message.”
7. ALLĀH DID NOT REVEAL ABOUT QUASARS ETC: That Allāh did not make mention of “galaxies, quasars, galaxy clusters or empty space” in the Qur’an does not mean that Allāh did not create these. As stated, what is to be borne in mind is that the Qur’an is not a treatise on any subject, it is “essentially a book meant for the spiritual and moral advancement of man.”
However Allāh does mention empty space and other galaxies. As shown above Allāh told us in Qur’an 41:11 that when He created the heveans it was a “vapor;” thus it stands to reason that there would still be “vapor” after the solid mass was created; moreover, Hazrat Ali, in his description of the creation of the heavens, states that “Over this earth He created envelops over envelops of gases, which are seven in number and which are separated one from another. These gaseous envelops though overlap each other; yet each one is forced to occupy its own space, as if they are fixed in their places.”
And Allāh indirectly told us that there are “galaxies” in telling us that He created the WORLDS (more than one world)–Qur’an 1:1; 7:54; 41:9).
While Allāh has not directly mention “quasars” He informed us that He created things we do not know and that there are things smaller than the atom (which would indicate that the atom can be split): “And (He made) horses and mules and asses that you might ride upon them and as an ornament. And He creates what you know not”–Qur’an 16:8); “And not the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven is hidden from thy Lord, nor anything less than that nor greater, but it is (all) in a clear book” –Qur’an 10:61). These verses show that there are things in both the animal world and the scientific which Allāh has not revealed to man.
Again. Allāh tells us that if all the trees in the earth were pens and many seas were ink to write His words, they would all be exhausted before they could finish writing His words: “And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea with seven more seas added to it (were ink), the words of Allāh would not be exhaust-ted”–(Qur’an 18:109; 31:27). Thus everything created must be a “word” of Allāh.
It is folly to claim that because Allah did not mention any specific item in creation that Allah did not create it.
8. MOHAMMAD’S JOURNEY TO HEAVEN: WikiIslam notes the Prophet Mohammad’s Ascension to heaven in which the Prophet spoke about having to enter through doors and about seeing the source of the Nile and Euphrates rivers. (See Bokhari Vol. 9, #608).
Answer: It is doubtful a sensible person would take these “doors” in the heavens to mean literal doors. These are figurative expressions much like a person saying that his success was due to a certain individual opening a door for him (meaning that the individual did something for him or introduced him to someone who was able to help him in his pursuits). (See further on, that the Prophet’s journey was spiritual).
About the Prophet seeing the source of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. A person standing at one end of a long and winding bridge (and a skyway one) cannot see the other end of the bridge, but if the person was in an air-vehicle at some height above the bridge he would not only be able see the entire length of the bridge but also other details. Thus, Mohammad, whether bodily or spiritually, in the heavens would be able to see the sources of the Nile and Euphrates-Tigris rivers. (The Nile runs from Ethiopia through Sudan and Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea. The Euphrates runs from southern Iraq through Syria into Turkey; and the Tigris runs from southern Iraq to Turkey. Doubtlessly, a person in the air can see the sources of these rivers).
Regarding this journey of the Prophet. There is a difference of opinion among Muslims as to the nature of this journey (Mi’raj); some holding that it was physical, and others holding that it was spiritual. That this Ascension of the Prophet was a spiritual one seems evident from the following observations:
(1) Qur’an 17:60 speaks of Allāh showing the Prophet “the vision,” not an actual sighting.
(2) The Prophet said he was in a state between sleep and wakefulness when this event, Miraj, occurred–(Bokhari Vol. 4, #429). And Bokhari Vol. 9, #608 reports that three angels came to the Prophet while he was “SLEEPING” in the Ka’ba, and that when the Prophet saw them “HIS EYES WERE ASLEEP BUT HIS HEART WAS NOT –AND SO IS THE CASE WITH THE PROPHETS: THEIR EYES SLEEP WHILE THEIR HEARTS DO NOT SLEEP”; and at the end of the journey the Prophet then “WOKE” in the Ka’ba. This supports the view that the Mi’raj was a spiritual experience of the Prophet.
This narration also says that the angels carried the Prophet to the Zam-Zam well, where Gabriel “cut open” the Prophet’s chest area and removed “all the material out of his chest and abdomen” and then washed the inside of his body with Zam-Zam water and then stuffed the Prophet’s “chest and throat blood vessels” with “belief and wisdom” and then closed the chest–(Bokhari Vol. 9, #608). It may be advanced that since Mohammad was a Prophet and believed in Allāh why was it necessary to fill his body with belief? Also, wisdom and belief are not physical factors so as to require a physical insertion of them into the body. This seems to be another proof that the Mi’raj was a spiritual experience. As Muhammad Ali aptly points out that “things spiritual can only be seen with the spiritual eye.” (See his comm. to Qur’an 17:60. His translation of the Qur’an can be viewed online:
www.muslim.org). Notably, the Mi’raj and the Isra –the Prophet’s journey from Makkah to Jerusalem– took place on the same occasion–(see Muhammad Ali’s comm. to Qur’an 17:1).
This difference of opinion among Muslims as to the nature of this journey (Mi’raj) by the Prophet Mohammad –some holding that it was physical, and others, that it was spiritual– is of no consequence to our practice of Islam. What is paramount is the significance of the journey as stated by Muhammad Ali: “As the significance of the Ascension was the spiritual eminence of the Holy Prophet and indicated his triumph in the world, his being carried to the Temple at Jerusalem signified that he would also inherit the blessings of the Israelite prophets.” And as prophesied by Jesus that the kingdom of God shall be taken from the Jews and given to another people: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof”–Matthew 21:43.
Muslims are to uproot and incinerate our unGodly and destructive sectism. We Muslims must be the biggest morons in creation if we believe we can defy Allāh and sectify ourselves –and even slaughtering one another in the name of this sectism– and yet expect Allāh to give us Jannah.
9. ECLIPSES OF THE SUN OR MOON: Allāh reveals in Qur’an 36:40: “Neither is it for the sun to overtake (or catch up to) the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day. And all float on in an orbit.” WikiIslam states: “For a solar eclipse to occur however, the sun and the moon actually must (from the perspective of the earth) “catch up” to each other in their “orbits.”
Answer: And how do you know that Allāh was referring to it “from the perspective of the earth”? Incidentally, for the Prophet Mohammad to convey that the sun and the moon “swims along in (its own) orbit” is one of the miracles coming from the mouth of a denizen of the desert 1400 years ago.
Yusuf Ali comments on this verse (36:40): “Though the sun and the moon both traverse the belt of the Zodiac, and their motions are different, they never catch up each other. When the sun and the moon are on the same side and on a line with the earth there is a solar eclipse, and when on opposite sides in a line, there is a lunar eclipse, but there is no clash …Similarly, Night and Day follow each other, but being opposite cannot coincide.” Thus, the sun and moon not being able to “catch up” to the other means they do not “clash.”
That the eclipse frightened Mohammad “into a spectacular act of piety.”
Answer: While eclipses do frighten some people. As the eclipse is a sign of Allāh, in engaging in this “spectacular act of piety” –praying– Mohammad was, appropriately, paying homage to the Power and Greateness of Allāh.
And in response to the people’s belief that eclipses occur because of someone’s death, the Prophet said: “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone’s death or life (i.e. birth), but they are two signs amongst the Signs of Allāh. So, if you see them (i.e. eclipse), offer the Prayer (of eclipse)”–Bokahri Vol. 4, #423. Notably, Muslims also prostrate to Allāh on read-ing certain verses of the Qur’an).
In answer to the skeptics question reagrading the Resurrection Allāh reveals: “He asks: When is the day of Resurrection? So when the sight is confused, And the moon becomes dark, And the sun and the moon are brought together. Man will say on that day: Whither to flee?”–(Qur’an 6-10). WikiIslam wrote: “The “uniting” of the sun and the moon not only demonstrate a singular instance when they do “catch up” with each other, but also indicate that the authors of the Qur’an believed they were comparable in size. This is of course only an illusion of comparative distance.”
Answer: This is not about an eclipse or a “catch up” by the sun and moon. Clearly this verse is about the Resurrection –the “disruption of the solar system.”
The moon becoming “dark.” As the sun burns itself out it “will swell up, turning into the sort of star that astronomers call a red giant”; and will end up as a “black dwarf star.” (Paul Davies, God and the New Physics, pp. 200, 201). Thus, as the sun becomes weaker the moon deprived of the light of the sun will become “dark.” (See Qur’an 81:1).
The “sun and the moon are brought together.”“The phenomena of Moon joining the Sun was predicted by the Holy Qur’an in its verses 75(8-9), many centuries earlier than the scientific speculations of today,” wrote Bashir-Ud-Din Mahmood, “tidal forces keep the moon drifting away from the Earth. Its orbit is now becoming wider at the rate of about 3 cm a year. Eventually the Earth will not be able to hold the Moon, and then it will fall in the Sun.” “Thus science considers the Doomsday of the Earth as an accepted reality, though there are questions about the ways in which it will take place.” And “As scientific knowledge builds up with rapid advancement in various fields, the extent of the wealth of knowledge contained in the Qur’an is dawning upon us.”(Doomsday and Life after Death, pp. 133, 134, 113; 19).
10. NIGHT AND DAY:Allāh reveals in His Qur’an 3:27: “Thou makest the night to pass into the day and Thou makest the day to pass into the night; and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living; and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest without measure.”
In creating the earth a sphere and rotating Allāh has thus created night and day. While parts of the earth are in “day” mode parts are in “night” mode.
That Allāh says the sun and moon are used for reckoning time does not mean they have no other use(s). While we basically wear garments to cover our private(s), garments can also beautify us, make comfortable, conceal blemish, and protect from the elements.
11. THE STARS, PLANETS AND METEORS:Allah reveals: “And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We make them means of conjectures for the devils, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning”–Qur’an 67:5). Muhammad Ali comments:
“The lamps with which the lower heaven is lighted, i.e., the stars, are made the means of conjectures regarding the future by the astrologers. Rujum is the plural of rajm, and explaining it IAth says: “Rajm means conjectures about what Allah has not stated ” (N). And classing the munajjim, i.e., the astrologer, and the kahin, i.e., the diviner, and the sahir, i.e., the magician, as one, he goes on to say: “Thus he (i.e., the Prophet, whose saying is explained) considered the astrologer, who learns about stars so that he may judge thereby, and attributes to them the effect of good and evil, to be a disbeliever” (N). Explaining these very words, Raghib says: “And rajm is used metaphorically to signify conjectures and surmises” (R). LL also gives this significance of the verse on the authority of Bd and TA: “We have made them to be means of conjectures to the devils of mankind, i.e., to the astrologers”. Thus the astrologers, who deceived people by telling them many things which they posed as having learned from the stars, are referred to here.” (To restate verses of the Qur’an are of literal meaning and allegorical. WikiIslam does not seem to care about the nature of verses; he is dedicated to leading Muslims into atheism or into the useless and unGodly Christianity).
Qur’an 72:8 states: “And we sought to reach heaven, but we found it filled with strong guards and flames.”
To understand this verse that WikiIslam quotes, one needs to read from verse one which shows that it was about a group of outsiders who, as noted by Muhammad Ali, were “Christians.” Muhammad Ali comments on this verse (72:8):
“8a. By reaching heaven is meant learning secrets of the heaven. The reference may be to the diviners and astrologers among them, for which see 37:7a–10a, but more likely it is a prophetical reference to the great scientific discoveries of the modern age relating to heaven.
And 37:7a MA: “The Prophet’s preaching was confronted by a twofold opposition among the Arabs ― the secular classes and the priestly class, i.e., the diviners and the soothsayers, the class known as Kahin. It is these soothsayers who are called the rebellious devils, because they thought that they could invoke spirits and answer questions put to them relating to the future. This phase of opposition was equally swept away by the forceful
tide of Islamic truth, and the profession of the Kahin disappeared from Arabia as Islam advanced; see LA under the word kahin. The mention of heaven and stars in the previous verse refers to the popular superstition that the diviners and soothsayers ob-tained their knowledge of the future from the stars. The safe-guard against every rebellious devil indicates that they have no access to Divine secrets; see further 52:38a and 72:8a.”
(For the verses quoted by WikiIslam I suggest that readers consult Muhammad Ali’s explanation. MA’s translation of the Qur’an can be viewed online:
www.muslim. org.
As stated WikiIslam is vast on text and void of substance. Muslims are not to be overwhelmed by its abundance of material. WikiIslam assembles verses of the Qur’an and gives them a literal meaning though part of the Qur’an is allegorical in meaning. What you do not know or understand just leave aside. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELVES TO BE MISLED. No religion can be shown to be superior to or equal with Islam.
While many religious beliefs “have been swept away by the new physics,” as Paul Davies wrote, findings, such as the “existence of mind, for example, as an abstract, holistic, organizational pattern, capable even of disembodiment, refutes the reductionist philosophy that we are all nothing but moving mounds of atoms;”2 and James Trefil wrote: “Everything we see in the sky, like everything on earth, happens in a rational orderly way.”3
Twentieth century high-rise (sophisticated) man discovers what the Seventh century desert dweller, Mohammad, conveyed to us: that all things are chained to the law; that it is Allah “Who creates, then makes complete, And Who measures, then guides” –(Qur’an 87:2-3; 25:2; 54:49).
12. REMOVAL OF MOUNTAINS: Allāh reveals: “And the day when We cause the mountains to pass away, and thou seest the earth a levelled plain and We gather them together and leave none of them behind” –(Qur’an 18:47).
Answer: Even man is removing mountains –blasting them with explosives– and bulldozing/grading hills and making the earth in his environment level. Why then can’t Allāh Who created the mountains remove them and make the earth in all regions level?
As already shown, the Qur’an teaches that the earth is spherical. Whereas the earth is round, one’s country is conveniently spread out flat like a “carpet” and also has mountains. Allāh will obliterate the mountains –leveling the earth– and every nation’s habitation will become flat.
13. MOUNTAINS ARE PEGS: Allāh says the mountains are as pegs:“And He has cast firm mountains in the earth lest it quake with you, and rivers and roads that you may go aright”–Qur’an 16:15). Muhammad Ali comments: “The words of the Qur’an seem to point to the great upheavals and the violent agitations which led to the formation of the mountains, before man’s existence on earth, and, that having been effected, the convulsions are now comparatively insignificant. The present condition of the earth, with man upon it, is therefore one of stability, making life possible. But an tamsda bi-kum may also mean that they may be a source of benefit to you as mada means he conferred a benefit. In accordance with this we have elsewhere: “And the mountains, He made them firm, a provision for you and for your cattle” (79:32, 33).
Again Allah says: “Have We not made the earth an expanse And the mountains as pegs?”–(Qur’an 78:6-7). And Muhammad Ali: “The earth is called mihad or a place made even for walking upon (R). The words here are similar to what is said in 2:22, where the earth is spoken of as being made a rash, i.e., an ex-panse or resting-place. The mountains are likened to pegs on the surface of the earth.”(For seven heavens and earths see item #1).
14. WHERE ARE PARADISE AND HELL? Allāh tells us in His Qur’an 57:21: “Vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden the extensiveness of which is as the extensiveness of the heaven and the earth.” WikiIslam wants to know since the Garden is extensive as the “heaven and the earth” where is Hell?
Answer: It could be quipped that the Garden is extensive as only ONE ‘heaven and earth’ and that the other six “heavens and earths,” as Allāh says He created SEVEN, are for the religious liars, fabricators of falsehood, blasphemers, and the atheists. After all, mega spaces will be needed for the “dungeons” and boilers and furnaces to house, boil, and roast all the Christians, Jews, Hindus, and atheists, etc that reject Islam/ Mohammad, not only because no other religion can be shown to be superior to or equal with Islam but for their not keeping their pre-birth oath which they took with Allāh (explained later).
Muhammad Ali notes about Qur’an 57:21 above: “The Garden or the Paradise is here said to be as extensive as the heavens and the earth, and a similar statement occurs in 3:133. These statements afford us the key to a right conception of paradise. The following incident is related under 3:133: “A messenger of Hera-clius asked the Holy Prophet: ‘If paradise were as extensive as the heavens and the earth, where would be hell?’ The Prophet replied ‘Glory be to Allāh! Where is the night when the day comes?’ ” (Rz). It shows clearly that heaven and hell are not the names of two places, but are really two conditions, because if paradise were the name of a particular place, hell could not exist, as paradise would according to these verses extend over the whole of space.”
Perhaps Hell is both a condition and a place; depending on the nature of one’s sin(s). This view would not militate against the above-saying of the Prophet because even in our own surroundings we have places of joy standing beside penitentiary. In fact, even castles were said to have had dungeons.
Regarding WikiIslam’s note that “the direction of hell, when it is mentioned, is invariably “down.””
Answer: This may be figurative. Isn’t down “symbolic” of failure, and up symbolic of success? He hung his head “down” in shame; he held his head “up” or “high” in pride?
15. DHUL-QARNAIN & SUN SETTING IN WATER, GOG AND MAGOG: The story of Dhul-qarnain is revealed in Qur’an 18:83-101. The verses dealing with the sun setting in a sea/lake and the sun rising are 86 and 90. Those verses actually dealing with Gog and Magog are 94-101. About Dhul-qarnain reaching the place of the sunset and sun-rise verses 86 and 90 states:
86. “Until, when he reached the setting-place of the sun,a he found it going down into a black sea,b (and he continued his travels)
90. Until, when he reached (the land of) the rising sun, he found it rising on a people to whom We had given no shelter from ita—
Regarding the sun setting in a “black sea” (or “lake” as Wiki-Islam notes). It is amusing that one would cerebrate that Allāh would try to have the Arabs believe in Him by telling them, no matter how steeped they were in idolatry, that the sun actually sets in a sea/lake when the Arabs could see it set in the sand/desert and without any sign of water; moreover that the Arabs did not question Mohammad as to how is it that the sun goes down into the water and is not doused (and they could tell it is a body of fire because of its heat), and day in and day out; and not even lose its heat but that they have to daily suffer ninety-plus degrees temperature; especially on the day when Mohammad scripted them on the expedition to Tabuk (to stem the threat of a Roman attack) complaining that it was “hot.”
Muhammad Ali explains this sun setting in the sea/lake and the sun rising:
“86a. Maghrib al-shams, or the setting-place of the sun, signifies the western-most point of his empire, because going towards the west he could not go beyond it.
86b. The words in Arabic are ‘ain-in ami’at-in, which literally mean a black sea, ‘ain meaning an abundance of water, or a place in which water remains and collects, and amiat means black mud (T, LL). The place referred to is no other than the Black Sea, as, Armenia being within the Kingdom of Persia, the Black Sea formed the northwestern boundary of the empire.”
“90a. The three journeys alluded to seem to have been undertaken with the object of strengthening the frontiers of the empire, the most important of these being that spoken of in v. 93, the part of the frontier between the Caspian and the Black Seas, where the Caucasus afforded a natural protection against the attacks of the Scythians. Darius goes first westward to the Black Sea (vv. 85, 86). Then he undertakes an eastward journey — the land of the rising sun. The description of the people found here, a people who had no shelter from the sun, is a description of the barbarous aboriginal tribes on the shores of the Caspian. The En. Br. says in the article on Media: “The names in the Assyrian inscriptions prove that the tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media were not Iranians nor Indo-Europeans, but an aboriginal population, like the early inhabitants of Armenia, perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus. We can see how the Iranian element gradually became dominant: princes with Iranian names occasionally occur as the rulers of these tribes. But the Galae, Tapuri, Cadusii, Amardi, Utii, and other tribes in Northern Media and on the shores of the Caspian, were not Iranians”.”
(Regarding verse 93 which states: “Until, when he reached (a place) between the two mountains, he found on that side of them a people who could hardly understand a word,” Muhammad Ali notes: “The two mountains are the mountains of Armenia and Azarbaijan. The people settling there spoke a different language and could not understand the Iranian language.”)
Regarding Gog and Magog in verses 94-101 (of chapter 18). Commentary by Muhammad Ali; his translation of the Qur’an can be viewed online:
www.muslims.org. (Emphasis added).
94 “They said: O Dhu-l-qarnain, Gog and Magog do mischief in the land. May we then pay thee tribute on condition that thou raise a barrier between us and them?a
95 He said: That wherein my Lord has established me is better, so if only you help me with strength (of men), I will make a fortified barrier between you and them:
96 Bring me blocks of iron.a At length, when he had filled up the space between the two mountain sides, he said, Blow. Till, when he had made it (as) fire, he said: Bring me molten brass to pour over it.
97 So they were not able to scale it, nor could they make a hole in it.
98 He said: This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass He will crumble it, and the promise of my Lord is ever true.a
99 And on that day We shall let some of them surge against others and the trumpet will be blown, then We shall gather them all together,a
100 And We shall bring forth hell, exposed to view, on that day before the disbelievers,a
101 Whose eyes were under a cover from My Reminder, and they could not bear to hear.a”
“94a. (which says: “They said: O Dhu-l-qarnain, Gog and Magog do mischief in the land. May we then pay thee tribute on condition that thou raise a barrier between us and them?”). This verse brings us face to face with an all-important subject, viz., the identity of Gog and Magog. The Bible references to Gog and Magog are somewhat loose. In Gen. 10:2 and 1 Chron. 1:5, “Magog is mentioned as the second son of Japheth, between Gomer and Madai, Gomer representing the Cimmerians and Madai the Medes. Magog must be a people located east of the Cimmerians and west of the Medes. But in the list of nations, Gen. 10, the term connotes rather the complex of barbarian peoples dwelling at the extreme north and north-east of the geographical survey covered by that chapter….In Ezek. 38:2 Magog occurs as the name of a country; in Ezek. 39:6 as that of a northern people, the leader of whom is Gog” (Jewish En., Art. “Gog and Magog”). “Josephus identifies them with the Scythians, a name which among the classical writers stands for a number of unknown ferocious tribes. According to Jerome, Magog was situated beyond the Caucasus near the Caspian Sea” (Jewish En.). The En. Br. considers the traditional identification of Gog and Magog with the Scythians to be “plausible”, and then adds: “This plausible opinion has been generally followed”, with this reservation, that the word may be applied to “any or all of the numerous but partially known tribes of the north; and any attempt to assign a more definite locality to Magog can only be very hesitatingly made”.
All these writers have, however, not paid sufficient attention to the words of Ezek. 38:2: “Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”. Tubal and Meshech are almost always mentioned together, and their identification has been a task of great difficulty, so much so that a renowned Biblical critic suggests the names of certain nations in South Palestine. But this contradicts the views of ancient writers like Josephus, who settle the Magog north of the Caucasus. If we go, however, to the north of the Caucasus, we find still two rivers bearing the names of Tobal and Moskoa, on the latter of which is situated the ancient city of Moscow, and on the former the more recent town of Tobolsk. It seems almost certain that these two rivers received their names from the two tribes of Ezek. 38:2, the Tubal and Meshech, and then gave their names to the two above-mentioned cities, thus keeping the names of these tribes. This view is in accordance with the opinion of Josephus, who identifies Magog with the Scythians, for “throughout classical literature Scythia generally meant all regions to the north and north-east of the Black Sea, and a Scythian any barbarian coming from these parts”.
It is clear from the above that the name Magog stands for tribes which occupied territories to the north and north-east of the Black Sea, tribes which gave their names directly or indirectly to the towns of Tobolsk and Moscow.
There is, however, another point worth considering, and that is the gigantic effigies of Gog and Magog in Guildhall, London. “It is known,” says the En. Br., “that effigies similar to the present existed in London as early as the time of Henry V”. An explanation of this remarkable circumstance is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth: “Gaemot or Gaemagot (probably a corrupted form of Gog and Magog) was a giant who, along with his brother Gorineous, tyrannized in the western horn of England until slain by foreign invaders” (En. Br., Art. “Gog and Magog”). It is very difficult to speak with anything bordering on accuracy about the early connections of different races, but the preservation of the effigies of Gog and Magog in England, which can be traced to a very early period in English history, makes it probable that the Angles or the Saxons had in very ancient times some connection with the Scythians or other tribes living north of the Caucasus or the Black Sea. The relations of the different nations in early history are very complicated, and it is out of place to enter into any such discussion here. But it may be noted that the Goths, who are considered to be the easternmost of the Teutonic races, are said to have migrated into Scythia (En. Br., “Goths”), which shows the existence of connection between the two races. And again, “the Batharnae also, who in the third century B.C. invaded and settled in the regions between the Carpathians and the Black Sea, are said by several ancient writers to have been Teutonic by origin, though they had largely intermarried with the native inhabitants” (En. Br., “Teutonic Peoples”).
It is thus clear that the ancestors of the present Teutonic and Slav races are the Gog and Magog spoken of in the Holy Qur’ån. The effigies of Gog and Magog in London and the names of Tobal and Moskoa, occurring in the Bible, are clear indications of this fact.
Next we come to the statement that the tribes found by Darius between Azerbaijan and the Armenian mountains were constantly harassed by their northern neighbours, the Scythians. History bears evidence to the truth of this statement. The Scythians, or, according to some writers, the Sacae, constantly troubled Asia. According to Herodotus the Scyths ruled Media for twenty-eight years (En. Br., Art. “Scythia”). “About 512 Darius undertook a war against the Scythians … The purpose of this war can only have been to attack the nomadic Turanian tribes in the rear, and thus to secure peace on the northern frontier of the empire” (En. Br., Art. “Darius”). The portion which I give in italics shows that Darius exerted himself to his utmost in securing peace on the northern frontier of his empire, where the Caucasus, bounded on both sides by the Black and Caspian Seas, afforded a natural protection.
The barrier referred to in this verse, and described in the verses that follow, is the famous wall at Derbent (Ar. Darband). An account of this wall is given by Muslim geographers and historians, for instance, in Maracid al-Iila‘ and Ibn al-Faqsh. The following account, however, taken from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, should be more convincing: “Derbent or Darband, a town of Caucasia, in the province of Daghestan, on the western shore of the Caspian….It occupies a narrow strip of land beside the sea, from which it climbs up the steep heights inland….And to the south lies the seaward extremity of the Caucasian wall (50 miles long), otherwise known as Alexander’s Wall, blocking up the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or Caspian Gate (Portae Albanae, or Portae Caspae). This, when entire, had a height of 29 feet and a thickness of about 10 feet, and with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers formed a valuable defence of the Persian frontier.” (Italics in the last sentence are mine, for which see the next footnote.) The misnomer Alexander’s Wall seems to have been due to the mistake made by Muslim historians in supposing Dhu-l-qarnain to be Alexander.”
“96a. (which says: “I will make a fortified barrier between you and them: Bring me blocks of iron”). The blocks of iron were needed for the iron gates in the wall, for which see the concluding lines of the last note.”
“98a. (which says: “He said: This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the promise of my Lord comes to pass He will crumble it, and the promise of my Lord is ever true”). From the historical narration of the past, the subject is now changed to the future. Gog and Magog are described as two nations, and after describing the history of these nations, whose depredations on peaceful nations were brought to an end by Darius, we are now told that Gog and Magog will again be let loose in the latter days. In fact, this is clearly foretold in another chapter of the same period: “when Gog and Magog are let loose, and they sally forth from every elevated place” (21:96). This is the only other occasion on which Gog and Magog are spoken of in the Holy Qur’ån. The crumbling of the wall which withheld Gog and Magog for a time is thus explained by the Qur’ån itself, as the letting loose of Gog and Magog. Just as the building of the wall indicated the confinement of Gog and Magog to their own territorial bounds, the crumbling of the wall means that they will at some future time be let loose and they will then dominate the whole world. This domination is spoken of in the Hadith in various ways. According to one hadith, “No one will have the power to fight against them” (Ms. 52:20). According to another, “they will drink the water of the whole world” (KU, vol. 7, p. 2157). According to a third, God said: “I have created some of My servants whom no one can destroy but Myself ” (KU, p. 3021). As shown in 94a, the ancestors of Gog and Magog are the Slav and Teutonic races, and in the world-domination of Gog and Magog is thus clearly hinted the domination of the European nations over the whole world, and the prophecy has thus found fulfillment in our days.”
“99a. (which says: “And on that day We shall let some of them surge against others and the trumpet will be blown, then We shall gather them all together”). A mighty conflict of the nations is clearly spoken of here, and the words no doubt refer to some catastrophe like that which is predicted in the Gospels in the words: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earth-quakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:7, 8).
The Qur’ån makes it clear that the reference in nation rising against nation is to the great European conflicts which we are witnessing nowadays. Gog and Magog, or the European nations, having subdued the whole world, could not agree on the division of the spoils, and they are rushing at one another’s throats, and the whole world being subject to them, their struggle has assumed the form of a world conflict. One World-War ends only to be followed by another. But if the first part of the verse speaks of the destruction due to these wars, the second part raises a great hope. Will this great world-conflict bring the world to an end? Human efforts to restore the balance to the world are a failure. But the Qur’ån tells us that a mighty Revolution will come about. That is what is meant by the blowing of the trumpet. This revolution will be a change in the mentality of the nations. A silver lining is introduced in this dark picture by the words, then We shall gather them all together. The revolution would unite them; it would drive them to one common faith. Material benefits having turned man into the enemy of man, a spiritual awakening will, we are told, be brought about which will change the world entirely. Instead of cutting one another’s throats men will learn to love one another, and they will all be but one nation. There is a broad enough hint here at the nation of Islåm, for there is but one faith, the faith of Islåm, which has been able to weld diverse people into one whole. The day of peace for this world will dawn with the dawning of the idea on the mind of man that there is only a single nation, the human nation, that lives on this earth: “Mankind is a single nation” (2:213). And actually Islåm is the only religion in the world which has been successful in uniting different nations into one whole and in obliterating distinctions of race and colour.”
“100a. (which says: “And We shall bring forth hell, exposed to view, on that day before the disbelievers”). These words com-plete the picture of the great conflict spoken of in the previous verse. It in fact describes the severity of the conflict, it will reduce the world to a veritable hell. We have seen hell raging on this earth in World-War II. What World-War III may bring, no one can say.”
“101a. (which says: “Whose eyes were under a cover from My Reminder, and they could not bear to hear”). The reason is given in these words why these disasters will be brought on man: These are people whose eyes are under a cover from My Reminder. Nay, they are so estranged from God that they cannot even bear to hear His Reminder. So thoroughly have lust and greed engrossed the civilized world!”
16. QIBLAH: The Qiblah is the direction Muslims face to pray. And this Qiblah is the Ka’bah in Makkah. In His Qur’an Allāh instructs the Prophet and Muslims to face the Ka’bah when we pray: “turn then thy face towards the Sacred Masjid. And wherever you are turn your faces towards it;” “And from whatsoever place thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the Sacred Masjid…And from whatsoever place thou comest forth, turn thy face towards the Sacred Masjid”–(Qur’an 2:144, 149-150).
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