Rebuttal to Ali Sina's article

Samaritans and Moses?

 

 

By

 

 

 

 

http://www../Articles/sina/samaritans.htm

 

He Wrote

 

In the Bible (Exodus 32) there is a story about Israelites worshiping a calf when Moses went to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God. When he returned he was angered and ordered “everyone to put on his sword and kill his brothers, his friends, and his neighbors” (Ex.32:27). In this story the culprits are the Israelites and Aaron the brother of Moses who let himself to be influenced by them. This incident is reported in the Quran in following verse.

 

He [Allah] said, "We have tempted thy people since thou didst leave them. The Samaritan (in Arabic ri) has led them into error." Then Moses returned ... ... and we cast them [(gold) ornaments], as the Samaritan also threw them, into the fire." (Then he brought out for them a Calf, a mere body that lowed; and they said, "This is your god, and the god of Moses, whom he has forgotten.") ... Moses said, "And thou, Samaritan, what was thy business?" ...
– Quran 20:85-88, 95

 

In the Quranic version the culprit is the Samaritan who mislead the Jews into worshiping the bull. But in the original story of the Bible there is no mention of any Samaritan. Muslims claim that the Bible is corrupted. But the fact is that when Moses was alive, there were no Samaritans at all. According to 1 King 16:24 Samaria was a hill belonging to Shemer that was purchased by King Omri where he founded the city of Samaria about 870 B.C. The Samaritans as a distinct people only emerged after the exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the resettlement of the area under king Sargon II after 722 B.C.

 

My Response

 

Yes, but had you been smart enough, you would know this argument of yours has already been responded to. Therefore he are the links to your argument:

 

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Contrad/External/samaritan.html

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/BBsamari.html

 

So this supposed error has already been responded to.

 

He Wrote

 

Moses lived 1400 years B.C. That is five to seven century before anyone could be called Samaritan (Sameri). Therefore the explanation of the Quran that Samaritans led the Jews to worship a calf cannot be correct. At the time of Moses Samaria did not exist and no one could be the citizen of a city that did not exist.

 

My Response

 

Yes, go read the link before you keep blabbering off.

 

He Wrote

 

One wonders where Muhammad got the idea of Samaritans leading Israelites to idolatry? The answer to this confusion can be found in another similar story of calf-worshiping narrated in the (1 King 12:26-33). This episode happened during the time of Jeroboam. This was a time when the Jews were split into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of the Judah; Jerusalem being the major center of the worship for all the Jews was in Judah. Holy towns attract pilgrims, promote commerce and generate income. Jeroboam who was the king of the Israel, thought that not having a holy place of worship in his kingdom is weakening his position. So he decided to build a temple in Samaria, the seat of the Northern Kingdom, adorning it with the statutes of two golden calves to rival Jerusalem as the center of worship.

 

My Response

 

Yes and? Are you trying to say Muhammad mixed the two? Bring your evidence of this, because you have not yet, you are only assuming. I also tell you to go read the link before you go blabbering off, and sadly you have continued to blabber off.

 

He Wrote

 

Biblical Scholars like Richard Elliot Friedman believe that the first story of the Jews worshiping the golden calf during the time of Moses to which Quran is alluding, actually did never happen. They believe that this story was fabricated by the writers of the Bible who were the high priests and the custodians of the temple of God in Jerusalem, to discredit Jerobeam and his temple in the Northern Kingdom. They invented the story of Moses and the golden calf, claiming that it provoked the wrath and punishment of God during the time of Moses. This did certainly send a strong message to the Jews that the temple erected by Jerobeam is unacceptable by God. Most probably the calves adorning the temple of Israel were symbolic and were not intended to be worshiped. Yet the story of the calf-worshiping-Jews, provoking the wrath of God, in the time of Moses had its intended effect. Emergence of a new temple in the North would not have only undermined the importance of Jerusalem as the sole religious center for all the Jews, but it would have also separated religiously a nation already split politically.

 

My Response

 

It gets from bad to worse. Now Ali is saying that he believes that the story and Moses and the calf in the Bible is not true but a fabrication! Hillarious indeed, to make it even more better, I will leave this for Shamoun to respond to if he ever feels like it. So Ali Sina brings no proof, he is just saying yes this scholar said this, Ali has commited the fallicy of appealing to authority. Just because one scholar said it, does not make it true. So no poof of what he says, if you actually read what he says the majority of it is based on ASSUMPTIONS, and you do know what happens when you assume? You make an ass out of yourself. :) (thats the slang)

 

He Wrote

 

Hosea echoed his disapproval of the northern temple in the following terms.

Throw out your calf-idol, O Samaria! My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of purity? They are from Israel! This calf - a craftsman has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria. -- Hosea 8:5-6

 

This is a warning to the Jews of 700 B.C. living in Samaria. It has nothing to do with the story of Moses and the Golden calf. Muhammad must have heard these two stories. But he confused the two and placed the Samaritans in a wrong context. Quran further continues:

“Moses said: "Get thee gone! but thy (punishment) in this life will be that thou wilt say, 'touch me not'; and moreover (for a future penalty) thou hast a promise that will not fail: Now look at thy god, of whom thou hast become a devoted worshipper: We will certainly (melt) it in a blazing fire and scatter it broadcast” (Qur'an 20:97)

 

My Response

 

Well Ali Sina has lost the plot, he is making several incredible accusations against the prophet and cant prove it! Oh no, wait it minute, maybe its just me, yah  Ali Sina gave very strong evidence I mean look at what he said:

 

Muhammad must have heard these two stories. But he confused the two and placed the Samaritans in a wrong context

 

Yah, I think its just me, maybe I just cant see the strong argument of Ali Sina, I mean look at his argument! Muhammad must have heard the story and mixed it! WOW! Now thats what you call solid evidence dont you?

 

See mr Ali how laughable your arguments are? Do you expect people to take you seriously with silly arguments like this? I mean if you had some good evidence, maybe we would consider it, but your arguments are ludicrus at best. You first state the Biblical account never even took place, it was a fabrication based on the view of one scholar, which is the fallacy of appealing to authority. You then bring a story up from the OT and go on to say Muhammad mixed them up, you show no evidence on this, but yes you go on to say Muhammad MUST HAVE mixed them up. Dont give us your assumptions, bring forth your evidence that he copied it! You have not, you have just blabbered.

 

He Wrote

 

It is interesting to note that in this verse the Quran alludes to the fact that the Samaritans were regarded as untouchables (thou wilt say, ‘touch me not’) by the Jews. In fact the Israelites looked down at Samarians and considered them “untouchable” (Najis) because of their idolatry. But this stigma was not placed on the Samaritans by Moses. There were no Samaritans in the time of Moses. They earned this designation by the Jews centuries later.

 

My Response

 

Yes, more blabbering, here is the link that once again refutes your initial argument:

 

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Contrad/External/samaritan.html

 

So another terrible argument, let us see what Ali Sina has basically done in this article:

 

1- He claimed that the Biblical account of the calf is fabricated and never happened.

 

2- He claims Muhammad mixed up two accounts without even givine ONE piece of evidence.

 

Very nice job my freind, future advice to you is this, next time you say Muhammad copied this or mixed this and that, bring your proof, not some rubbish and say ah yes see! Look they are similar so Muhammad copied it! No my freind, that is not proof.

 

For the good of the reader, here is a link responding to several arguments on Muhammad supposedly borrowing and plagerising:

 

 

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/