Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's article Qur'an Contradiction: Wine Statement.

Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's article

Qur'an Contradiction:

Fully Detailed Or Incomplete?

E.g., The Statements On Wine

He Wrote

The Quran claims to be completely comprehensive in its instructions, being fully detailed:

There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. S. 6:38 Pickthall

Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou (O Muhammad) of the warners. S. 6:114 Pickthall

This is the path of thy Lord, a straight path. We have detailed Our revelations for a people who take heed. S. 6:126 Pickthall

This Quran could not possibly be authored by other than GOD. It confirms all previous messages, and provides a fully detailed scripture. It is infallible, for it comes from the Lord of the universe. S. 10:37 R. Khalifa

In their history verily there is a lesson for men of understanding. It is no invented story but a confirmation of the existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance and a mercy for folk who believe. S. 12:111 Pickthall

One day We shall raise from all Peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring thee as a witness against these (thy people): and We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims. S. 16:89 A. Yusuf Ali

My Response

The Quran is indeed a book which is comprehensive in its instructions and rules. The Quran is not concerned with minor details on stories etc. The Quran's main theme is to show you God is one, and you must worship this God, and gives some stories on the prophets who went about to try and accomplish these tasks. The Quran's intention is not to give you long stories which discuss everything, even things that have nothing to do with religious doctrine. No one will read the Quran and not realize what its main message is, everyone who reads the Quran will fully understand its message, its doctrine etc.

He Wrote

Nothing could be further from the truth! The Quran fails to provide many important details in relation to key passages. This in turn leaves the reader confused and even perplexed in trying to understand the Quranic narratives and/or specific injunctions. In the words of the late Iranian Scholar Ali Dashti:

"The Qor'an contains sentences which are incomplete and not fully intelligible without the aid of commentaries; foreign words, unfamiliar Arabic words, and words used with other than the normal meaning; adjectives and verbs inflected without observance of the concords of gender and number; illogically and ungrammatically applied pronouns which sometimes have no referent; and predicates which in rhymed passages are often remote from the subjects. These and other such aberrations in the language have given scope to critics who deny the Qor'an’s eloquence. The problem also occupied the minds of devout Moslems. It forced the commentators to search for explanations and was probably one of the causes of disagreement over readings." (Dashti, Twenty-Three Years: A study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad, Allen and Unwin, London, 1985, pp. 48-49; emphasis ours)

"To sum up, more than one hundred Qor’anic aberrations from the normal rules and structure of Arabic have been noted. Needless to say, the commentators strove to find explanations and justifications of these irregularities. Among them was the great commentator and philologist Mahmud oz-Zamakhshari (467/1075-538/1144), of whom a Moorish author wrote: ‘This grammar-obsessed pedant has committed a shocking error. Our task is not to make the readings conform to Arabic grammar, but to take the whole of the Qor’an as it is and make Arabic grammar conform to the Qor’an.’" (Ibid., p. 50; emphasis)

My Response

As for grammar mistakes:

https://www.answering-christianity.com/quran/grammar2.htm

As for the rest of what you quoted, I respectfully disagree with what those men say, I have read the Quran many times without tafsirs, commentaries or aids, and completely understood it.

He Wrote

An example of such incoherence and unintelligibility is the Quranic view of strong drinks and wine. The Quran is clearly confused regarding its view of intoxicants as the following passages conclusively demonstrate:

And We have not revealed to you the Book except that you may make clear to them that about which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe. And Allah has sent down water from the cloud and therewith given life to the earth after its death; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who would listen. And most surely there is a lesson for you in the cattle; We give you to drink of what is in their bellies -- from betwixt the feces and the blood-- pure milk, easy and agreeable to swallow for those who drink. And of the fruits of the palms and the grapes -- you obtain from them intoxication (sakaran) and goodly provision; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who ponder. And your Lord revealed to the bee saying: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build: Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colours, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect. S. 16:64-69 Shakir

The impression given by this passage is that intoxicants are something good, since the context deals with signs or proofs of God’s care and provisions for mankind. Nothing is said about the negative affects of intoxicants or whether it is impermissible for believers.

My Response

Well no one said alcohol is bad now did they? Everyone admits alcohol is good, but at the same time we acknowledge that there is lots of bad in alcohol, and a lot of harm results from alcohol. Is that a contradiction? Would it be a contradiction from a scientist who said that? That alcohol is good, and also at the same is harmful and bad? Of course not. We acknowledge that there is more harm than good in alcohol which is a fact. Now here are some of the good things that alcohol does bring to people:

1- The pleasure of simply drinking it, the taste. Like the pleasure of food etc. People in Arabia, did enjoy drinking alcohol, so God was rightfully calling them on this, to be thankful to him for providing it, since they got pleasure from it.

2- Alcohol does benefit people in medicine. Such as wine, it has been recommended by doctors:

http://www.winepros.org/wine101/wine-health.htm

The medical profession has recognized the healthful and nutritive properties of wine for thousands of years. Hypocrites recommended specific wines to purge fever, disinfect and dress wounds, as diuretics, or for nutritional supplements, around 450 B.C. A French doctor wrote the earliest known printed book about wine around 1410 A.D.

Wine as Rx illustration.Most of the pathogens that threaten humans are inhibited or killed off by the acids and alcohol in wine. Because of this, wine was considered to be a safer drink than much of the available water up until the 18th century.

Wine is a mild natural tranquilizer, serving to reduce anxiety and tension. As part of a normal diet, wine provides the body with energy, with substances that aid digestion, and with small amounts of minerals and vitamins. It can also stimulate the appetite. In addition, wine serves to restore nutritional balance, relieve tension, sedate and act as a mild euphoric agent to the convalescent and especially the aged.

So hence this is another reason why Allah did acknowledge the good in wine, since it is good for the body as we see.

So hence we have no problems in saying yes alcohol does indeed have some good benefits, but at the same we do say, alcohol has more harms than benefits. The Quran also states this:

002.219

YUSUFALI: They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider-

So note the Quran tells us that there is a profit in wine, but the harm is worse than the good which is completely true.

Let us see the harms of alcohol:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5194258-103690,00.html

Excessive drinking causes brain damage in women more quickly than in men, according to a team of scientists.

The finding is especially worrying in the light of reports that binge drinking among women is soaring, according to the charity Alcohol Concern.

Scientists at the University of Heidelberg in Germany took brain scans of 158 volunteers, 76 of whom were alcoholic men and women. They found they could use the brain scans to trace the progression of alcohol dependency in women.

The scans also revealed that alcohol-induced brain damage could be picked up much earlier in women than men.

"The women developed equal brain-volume reductions as the men after a significantly shorter period of alcohol dependence," said Karl Mann, who led the study.

The study, which appears in the May issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, supports evidence that the harmful effects of alcohol differ between the sexes.

http://corp.aadac.com/for_women/the_basics_about_women/women_effects_alcohol.asp

Alcohol is often believed to be a stimulant, because it lowers inhibitions and impairs planning and judgment. But alcohol actually acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, slowing down brain functioning.

omen are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than men, and experience its harmful medical complications in a shorter period of time.

Women who drink heavily tend to develop liver or heart disease after fewer years of heavy drinking than men. (5, 11) These women also experience greater damage to their brain structure after fewer years of heavy drinking than men who are heavy drinkers. (11)

Women who consume as few as two drinks per day are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure. (5)

With as few as two or three drinks a day, a woman is at increased risk of dying from liver disease, cancer or injury. (5)

Consumption of as many as four drinks per day increases the risk of stroke among women. (5)

Higher levels of alcohol consumption may have negative effects on a woman's menstrual cycle. She may have more painful, heavy, or irregular periods as a result. (5, 8, 14)

Heavy alcohol consumption may lead to the deterioration of female reproductive health. Ovarian wasting (shrinkage) or abnormal function, endometriosis (cysts outside the uterus), infertility and sexual dysfunction have all been observed in alcoholic women. (5, 8, 14)

Effects during pregnancy

Drinking while pregnant may harm the developing fetus. Much research is being done, but to date there is still no known safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women. Most doctors and researchers believe it is safest not to drink while pregnant.

It is unclear whether a child's health problems are caused solely by a mother's use of alcohol during pregnancy or in combination with other factors including

* poor nutritional habits

* smoking

* other drug consumption

* use of more than one drug

* lack of sleep

* a mother's general health prior to pregnancy

* genetics

* how much alcohol, tobacco or other drugs are consumed during pregnancy

* at what stage in the pregnancy the substance is consumed

* the length of time the substance is consumed

The effects of alcohol have been difficult to study because these other factors also have an impact on the pregnancy. Until more is known about the specific effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, it is safest to avoid using them while pregnant.

Any harm done to the fetus as a result of drinking during pregnancy cannot be reversed, but reducing or eliminating alcohol intake at any time during pregnancy is healthiest for the fetus. (10) It's never too late to quit or cut down on drinking.

Effects during birth

Pregnant women who consume 10 or more drinks per week, or one to two drinks per day, are at higher risk of premature labour and delivery than women who rarely drink. (13)

Use of alcohol during pregnancy has been related to miscarriage or stillbirth. (6, 7)

Even one drink per day is associated with intrauterine growth restriction (the fetus not growing at a normal rate) and reduced birth weight. (7, 13)

Effects on breastfeeding

The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends that mothers who consume alcoholic beverages infrequently should breasted their children. However, breastfeeding is not recommended for women who regularly consume more than a moderate amount of alcohol (more than two drinks per day). (15)

A nursing mother who consumes alcohol tends to produce less milk. (16)

The infant may feed more frequently, but ingests less milk. (4)

Infants who are regularly exposed to alcohol in their mother's breast milk may have more difficulty in learning to co-ordinate their movement, and in developing their mental abilities. (6, 16) In addition, infants tend to have less restful sleep and sleep for shorter periods of time after consuming breast milk containing alcohol. (16)

Effects on child development

Effects on early development

Short-term effects at birth may include withdrawal symptoms such as sleeplessness, irritability, diarrhea, vomiting, breathing problems, seizures and lack of sucking during breastfeeding. (1)

A growing fetus ingests alcohol when alcohol passes from the mother through the placenta. Because the liver of the fetus is underdeveloped, it cannot break down the alcohol as quickly as a fully developed liver can. As a result, the fetus is exposed to alcohol for longer periods of time, and developing organs may be harmed by this long-term exposure. (18)

Moderate alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to developmental and behavioral difficulties in infants. (6)

Effects on long-term development

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (p-FAS), fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder (ARND) and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD) are all terms used to describe the physical and/or mental difficulties a child exposed to alcohol before being born may experience. These difficulties do not go away or change -- they last a lifetime.

Health Canada states that heavier drinking like binge drinking (consuming five drinks or more per occasion) or frequent drinking (consuming seven or more drinks per week) during pregnancy is linked to both FAS and FAE. (10)

Physically, alcohol-exposed children may exhibit problems with co-ordination, movement, vision and hearing, and/or have birth defects that may include

* bone and muscle deformities

* heart defects

* other deformities of the face or head

* kidney and organ problems (9)

Children exposed to alcohol before birth (even in light to moderate amounts) may have intellectual, behavioral, emotional or social problems that persist throughout their entire lives. These alcohol-exposed individuals may have

* mental handicaps (9)

* problems with learning, memory and problem solving (2, 17)

* poor judgment or failure to consider consequences (12)

* destructive, aggressive, inattentive, nervous or overactive behaviors (12)

* trouble with the law (12)

* a tendency to develop their own alcohol and other drug problems (3)

There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women.

http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Alcohol

What are its short-term effects?

the effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness and talkativeness; the immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting. Alcohol, even at low doses, significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including domestic violence and child abuse. Hangovers are another possible effect after large amounts of alcohol are consumed; a hangover consists of headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue.

What are its long-term effects?

Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism). Sudden cessation of long term, extensive alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions. Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver. In addition, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.

So we do get the picture now that there is good in alcohol, but there is worse in it. Such as liver disease, heart failure, economical factors, aggressiveness, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Now one of the main effects and the most important one which deals with this topic is addiction.

http://www.alcohol-addiction.org/

UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL ADDICTION

Alcohol is known to man as one of the oldest addictions there is.

The University of Amsterdam and the Leiden University conducted a study in 2002 and concluded that a person’s ability to function normally is effected after even one drink.

Alcohol addiction is a road of destruction for an individual suffering through alcohol addiction.

TWO PROBLEMS, ONE ADDICTION.

This is not a mysterious brain disease. People begin drinking to solve some perceived problem or problems in his or her life and before they realize it there’s a dependency and an addiction. Alcohol dependence and addiction originates from the continued use of alcohol to combat the perceived problems. Either a physical and/or an emotional dependence causes addiction.

By the time reality kicks in the alcohol addiction is a greater problem than the original problem or problems the alcohol was suppose to solve.

Now the result is there are two problems for the person to deal with: Number one is the possibly forgotten original problem and number two is the new found alcoholism to contend with.

ONE SOLUTION SOLVES BOTH PROBLEMS WITH TREMENDOUS SUCCESS!

Getting someone to stop drinking is not a simple matter of someone having self-control or self-discipline as many people think. Only one of the problems is a persons ability to quit drinking but the combination of the original problem that started the drinking and the added problem within the addiction to stop drinking makes the endeavor seem impossible.

Overcoming these real life problems with real life solutions is an essential component to a successful rehabilitation. The right tools and life skills to surpass common barriers encountered by people on a daily basis are necessary for beating the addiction long-term. In order for those suffering through any type of addiction they must be able to apply these tools to their every day lives consistently.

For an alcoholic to become a happy, healthy, and productive member of society both the drinking problem and the underlying reasons for it have to be solved.

So addiction is the biggest problem there is. It is not easy and simple to just say stop drinking and be done with.

He Wrote

O you who believe! do not go near prayer when you are Intoxicated (sukara) UNTIL YOU KNOW (WELL) WHAT YOU SAY, nor when you are under an obligation to perform a bath -- unless (you are) travelling on the road-- until you have washed yourselves; and if you are sick, or on a journey, or one of you come from the privy or you have touched the women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth, then wipe your faces and your hands; surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving. S. 4:43 Shakir

This verse forbids Muslims from coming to prayers while intoxicated. This gives the impression that drinking before praying is permissible, provided that one doesn’t get drunk.

My Response

Yes, but this verse is very special. The reason being is because Arabs were not light drinkers, so hence they would always get drunk when they drank, and the Quran tells them to not enter their prayers while their drunk. Now how many times does a Muslim pray? 5 times a day, hence it would be very difficult for those Arabs to drink a lot, since they cannot be drunk to pray, hence this would limit to amount of alcohol they took in. This was the eventual gradual ending of alcohol in Islam. It took things step by step. Remember, addiction is the biggest problem there is, and you cannot just get rid of an addiction with the click of your finger, it takes time until you gradually overcome it.

He Wrote

hey ask thee concerning wine (al-khamri) and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, AND SOME PROFIT, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider. S. 2:219 A. Yusuf Ali

Here, wine (which falls under the category of intoxicants) is said to be both sinful and profitable, with the sin being greater. Even this passage stops short of explicitly prohibiting the consumption of wine.

My Response

Yes, I brought this verse up earlier. The verse is stating a common fact, that the harm in alcohol is worse than the benefit. Alcohol does cause more harm than good to you. No one denies the benefit in alcohol, that is simply denying a plane fact to do so, even Ibn Kathir said the same thing which I basically am:

(Say: In them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men.)

As for the harm that the Khamr and gambling cause, it effects the religion. As for their benefit, it is material, including benefit for the body, digesting the food, getting rid of the excrements, sharpening the mind, bringing about a joyous sensation and financially benefiting from their sale. Also, (their benefit includes) earnings through gambling that one uses to spend on his family and on himself. Yet, these benefits are outweighed by the clear harm that they cause which affects the mind and the religion.

http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=2&tid=5762

This verse would most likely make the Muslim drinkers become a bit more reluctant in drinking alcohol since they now know there is a sin in the consumption in alcohol, and it is better for us to stay away from sin.

He Wrote

Finally:

O ye who believe! Intoxicants (al-khamru) and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are AN ABOMINATION,- OF SATAN’S HANDWORK: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper. Satan's plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants (al-khamri) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain? S. 5:90-91 A. Yusuf Ali

This passage says that intoxicants are the handiwork of Satan! Hence, the Quran goes from describing wine as something good to something completely evil.

My Response

There is nothing wrong with the Quran stating wine is good, and then saying it is evil, the Quran is stating a common fact. Wine does have good benefits, everyone knows this, but we also do know wine and alcohol has lots of evil bad benefits, and the evil benefits are more than the good benefits. So there is no problems at all. Had the Quran simply said wine is evil, and not mention the fact that wine is good, and has some benefits, then the Quran would be wrong, because everyone knows there is good in wine. The fact the Quran did say there is good in wine, shows the Quran is completely correct in everything it is saying.

As I earlier said, when a scientist goes and says there is good in alcohol, yet at the same time says there is bad in alcohol, does that mean he is contradicting himself and being inconsistent? No he is not. He is simply stating the fact, many things on this planet contain both good and bad.

He Wrote

Now a Muslim may interject here and claim that the verses which permit intoxicants were abrogated. Yet, this is precisely the point. How does a Muslim know that these verses have been abrogated? Where does the Quran explicitly, or even implicitly, state this? Second, how does the Muslim know for certain which verses came first? Does the Quran give the date these "revelations" were allegedly sent down so that we can know which passage came first? After all, one can just as likely claim that S. 16:66-67 was "revealed" last and therefore abrogated S. 2:219 and 5:90-91. How can one know for certain?

My Response

Well one way in which we do know the order the verses came in is in the tafsirs that are given. Such as Ibn Kathir:

The Gradual Prohibition of Khamr (Alcoholic Drink)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Maysarah said that `Umar once said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr!'' Allah sent down the Ayah of Surat Al-Baqarah:

[????????????? ???? ????????? ????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????]

(They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: "In them is a great sin...)

`Umar was then summoned and the Ayah was recited to him. Yet, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr.'' Then, this Ayah that is in Surat An-Nisa' was revealed:

[??????????? ????????? ?????????? ??? ??????????? ?????????? ????????? ????????]

(O you who believe! Approach not As-Salah (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state.) (4:43)

Then, when the prayer was called for, a person used to herald on behalf of Allah's Messenger , "No drunk person should attend the prayer.'' `Umar was summoned again and the Ayah was recited to him. Yet, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr.'' Then, the Ayah that is in Surat Al-Ma'idah was revealed, `Umar was again summoned and the Ayah was recited to him. When he reached:

[?????? ???????? ???????????]

(So, will you not then abstain) (5:91) he said, "We did abstain, we did abstain.'' This is also the narration that Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasai collected in their books. `Ali bin Al-Madini and At-Tirmidhi said that the chain of narrators for this Hadith is sound and authentic. We will mention this Hadith again along with what Imam Ahmad collected by Abu Hurayrah Allah's saying in Surat Al-Ma'idah:

[???????? ????????? ????????????? ????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ????? ???????????]

(Intoxicants and gambling, and Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.) (5:90)

Allah said:

[????????????? ???? ????????? ?????????????]

(They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drinks and gambling.)

As for Al-Khamr, `Umar bin Khattab, the Leader of the faithful, used to say, "It includes all what intoxicates the mind.'' We will also mention this statement in the explanation of Surat Al-Ma'idah, along with the topic of gambling.

Allah said:

[???? ???????? ?????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????]

(Say: In them is a great sin, and (some) benefits for men.)

[????????????? ???????? ??? ????????????]

(...but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.)

This Ayah was the beginning of the process of prohibiting Khamr, not explicitly, but it only implied this meaning. So when this Ayah was recited to `Umar, he still said, "O Allah! Give us a clear ruling regarding Al-Khamr.'' Soon after, Allah sent down a clear prohibition of Khamr in Surat Al-Ma'idah:

[??????????? ????????? ???????? ???????? ????????? ??????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ]

(O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Shaytan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. Shaytan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain) (5:90, 91)

We will mention this subject, by the will of Allah, when we explain Surat Al-Ma'idah.

Ibn `Umar, Ash-Sha`bi, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and `Abdur-Rahman bin Aslam stated that the first Ayah revealed about Khamr was:

[????????????? ???? ????????? ????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????]

(They ask you about Khamr and gambling. Say: "In them there is great sin.'') (2:219)

Then, the Ayah in Surat An-Nisa' was revealed (on this subject) and then the Ayah in Surat Al-Ma'idah which prohibited Khamr.

So hence we do know this from the earliest records of Muslims. Now Shamoun will argue will why doesn't the Quran say the time order in when it was revealed.Well that wouldn't make much sense, since the people who were living at the time knew exactly what order the Quran was revealed in, there was no need for the Quran to state in what time order each verse was revealed. As we see from the tafsir, they all knew order in which the verses were revealed, there was no need for the Quran to say which verse came before which. Every time the prophet Muhammad had a revelation, they would record it down, hence they knew every verse in which order it was released etc.

So there was no need for the Quran to tell the order in revelation. Us Muslims who are living today, are able to know which order these verses were revealed is based on the knowledge of the earlier Muslims, their knowledge which circled around the Quran, since they were alive at the time, they were able to know when and where each verse was revealed, and in which order, and they recorded a lot of this as we saw from the tafsir.

As for how us Muslims know how the verses on drinking alcohol have been abrogated is simple, here is the verse which lets us know:

None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We substitute something better or similar- Knowest thou not that Allah has power over all things? S. 2:106

When We substitute one revelation for another- and Allah knowest best what He reveals (in stages)- They say, "Thou art but a forger"; But most of them understand not. S. 16:101

So note, the Quran itself testifies to the fact that some verses are abrogated with other verses.

Now secondly, it could be said that non of the verses are abrogated. In fact if you put each verse together you could still follow them all.

We still know that alcohol has more harm than good, we still know there is sin in alcohol, since it leads you to go and do bad things, there are still Muslims who drink alcohol, and do not follow the commands of the Quran, hence they do get drunk so the verse which commands them to not approach prayers while drunk could still be applied to them. Also finally, we do know to drink alcohol is a sin, haram, and it will count against us. So from my point of view all verses can be put together in harmony without contradicting each other. It actually becomes all the more clear with the Quran forbidding us to drink alcohol. Let me post the verses all together:

All these verses can be put together without having the former ones being abrogated, and there still would be no contradiction between any of that. Note the first passages I put state there is good in alcohol, this is still true, people still do enjoy the benefits of alcohol. The second passages I quoted say do not enter your prayers while you are drunk, this could still be applied today, because I said, many Muslims do not follow the Quran, and still drink alcohol, hence they do get drunk. So that law can still be applied to them, which is if they do get drunk, do not pray. However so this does not exempt them from the sin of drinking, since the Quran clearly prohibited alcohol.

The third passages I showed are still true, there is a benefit in alcohol, however so the sin is greater, so hence this rule in a sense still stands, but the verse in no way is condoning alcohol consumption, it is simply telling you there is a benefit in alcohol, but the sin is greater. It does not mean that since there is good in alcohol, that you should go drink it. The last passages I put, completely forbid alcohol, it tells you stay away from it, so hence if you do drink alcohol you do get the sin, where as when the previous verses were revealed, you would not get the sin of drinking alcohol, now you do get the sin. Note not one of the earlier 3 passages I posted say go drink alcohol or condone alcohol, all they say is that there is some good in alcohol, and do not approach your prayers while you are drunk, non of those verses condone alcohol drinking.

So hence even if those earlier verses are not abrogated, we still do not have any problems. However so, the Islamic scholars all agree that they have been abrogated and so on, so I will simply take their lead on this one since they know more than me. All I am doing is showing that there is another way to look at this situation, without bringing in the question of abrogation in it, since Shamoun stated:

How does a Muslim know that these verses have been abrogated? Where does the Quran explicitly, or even implicitly, state this?

So hence what I did was look at this from another angle other than abrogation since Shamoun is arguing how do I know this abrogated.

He Wrote

A Muslim may claim that Muslims don’t follow the Quran alone, but also consult the hadith literature. If so, then try telling the following Muslims that they need the hadith literature:

The Submitters, who present their reasoning in the articles listed on this page: Hadith & Sunna

Furthermore, the moment one appeals to the hadiths for clarification of these passages one ends up falsifying the Quran. The Quran is shown to be incomplete and therefore false in its claim of being fully detailed.

Sam Shamoun

My Response

Not really, because the Quran tells us to follow the apostle and what he commands us to do. Where do we find most of these commands of his? We find them in the hadiths, hence it is not falsifying the Quran, it is actually following the Quran's command.