Refuting Sam Shamoun’s Analysis of Surah 2:98-100

 

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http://www..net/Responses/Osama/zawadi_jesus_hades.htm

 

 

He Wrote

 

Zawadi spent his time focusing on the Holy Bible without ever informing his readers that it is his book, the Quran, that teaches that Jesus will go to hell:

Surely you and what you worship besides Allah are the firewood of hell; to it you shall come. Had these been gods, they would not have come to it and all shall abide therein. For them therein shall be groaning and therein they shall not hear. S. 21:98-100 Shakir

This text says that all those whom people worshiped besides Allah will end up in hell. The Quran acknowledges that Christians worshiped Jesus as God:

Surely, in disbelief are they who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary). Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Who then has the least power against Allah, if He were to destroy the Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), his mother, and all those who are on the earth together?" And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. He creates what He wills. And Allah is Able to do all things. S. 5:17 Hilali-Khan

Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allah is the Messiah ['Iesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah ['Iesa (Jesus)] said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers. S. 5:72 Hilali-Khan

And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth! S. 9:30 Hilali-Khan

Thus if the Quran is correct then Jesus will be one of those whom Allah will send into hell due to the worship given to him by Christians!

 

My Response

 

I shall quote from ‘Ibn Kathirs Al-Sira al-Nabwiyya, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad Volume 2, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick’:

 

Ibn Ishaq stated, “One day, so we have been told, the Messenger of God (SAAS) sat down in the mosque with al-Walid b. al-Mughira. Al-Nadr b. al-Harith came over and sat with them; also present were several men of the Quraysh.

 

“The Messenger of God (SAAS) spoke, but al-Nadr argued with him. The Messenger of God then addressed al-Nadr and ultimately silenced him. Having done so, he then recited to them, ‘You along with that which you worship besides God. Are the firewood for hell; you are on your way there. Were these gods they would not be ending up there; and all there will remain therein forever. Therein wailing is their lot, and therein they hear not. (surat al-Anbiya, XXI, v.98-100)

 

“The Messenger of God (SAAS) then arose Just as Abd Allah b. al-Zibara al-Sahmi approached and sat down.

 

“Al-Walid b. al-Mughira spoke to him, “I swear by al-Nadir b. Al-Harith’s foregoing argument with Ibn Abd al-Muttalib (i.e. Muhammad) was indeed short lived! Muhammad (silenced him by) claiming that we and those gods of ours we worship are to be firewood for the hell-fire!”

 

“Abd Allah b. al-Zibara replied: ‘If I’d found him saying that, I’d have disputed with him. Ask Muhammad: “Is everything besides God that is worshipped, along with those who worship them, to be firewood for hell? We worship angels, The Jews Worship Uzyr, and the Christians worship Jesus.

 

Al-Walid and those with him at the meeting were impressed and thought a cogent and winning argument. (-Note this is exactly like Shamoun, bringing up the same argument, and his readers think he has brought something impressive to refute Islam)

 

“This was reported to the Messenger of God (SAAS) who replied, ‘All those wanting to be worshipped aside from God will be there in hell with those who worshipped them. Those people merely worship devils, and those they (devils) have ordered them to worship’.

 

“God Almighty then revealed, “Those to whom good has already gone from us will be kept far away from it (hell). They will not hear its slightest sound, but will remain forever in what it is they have so desired’ (surat Al-Anbiya; XXI; v. 101-2)

 

This verse is referring Jesus, Uzayr and those rabbis and monks who lived in obedience to God Almighty. And regarding their assertion that they were worshipping angels and that these were the daughters of God, He sent down “And they say that God the Beneficent has a son for himself. All glory be Him! No, (not that) but they are honored servants” (surat Al-Anbiya, XXI, v.26)

 

And then were the verses following that.

 

Concerning the good impression made upon the polytheists by what al-Zibara said, God sent down, : “And when the son of Mary is mentioned as an example, your people make a great outcry. They ask, ‘Are our gods better or is he’? They only raise the objection for arguments sake. They really are a contentious people! (surat al-Zukhruf; XLIII, v. 57-58).

 

This argumentation they pursued was futile.

 

And they were aware of that, because they were an Arab people. It is part of their language that ma i.e. “that which” in the above quotation implies in Arabic something that does not think. The statement: “You, along with that which you worship besides God are the firewood for hell; you are on your war there (surat Al-Anbiya; XXI, v.98) refers to the rocks fashioned as idols. It does not include angels that they claimed to be worshipping inside these images, nor does it include Jesus, Uzayr or any of the Holy persons because that item of language, ma, cannot include them, directly or by implication.

 

They well knew the comparison they were making Jesus, son of Mary, was futile. As the Almighty stated, “ They only raise this objection for arguments sake. They really are a contentious people”. (surah al-Zukhruf; XLIII, v.57-8)

 

God also stated , “He”, (meaning Jesus) “was merely a servant whom We favored” (that is, by prophet hood) “and We made him an example for the people of Israel”. (surat Al-Zukhruf; XLIII, v. 59).  That is, as an indication of the totality of God’s power to achieve His wishes, having caused him from a female without male, similarly, God created Eve from a male without a female, and Adam without neither, while He created all the rest of mankind from both male and female. (pg34-35, all bold emphasis ours)

 

So there you go, the same argument brought up by the Qurayshi pagans 1400 years ago is the same one Shamoun is bringing up now! But as you see, the Qurayshi pagan who brought this argument up was soundly refuted and silence, and his people who were impressed with his argument were also silenced, they knew their argument was rubbish, they knew they had no case and that the Arabic language and style refuted them.