Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun’s article  “Is Allah A Messenger?
Or is Gabriel God?”

You can find this article here

http://www../Quran/Incoherence/allah_messenger.html

Shamoun wrote:

Yet in two other places the Quran claims to be the word of an unnamed messenger:

it is the speech (qawlu) of a noble Messenger (rasoolin kareemin) ... S. 69:40 Arberry

This unnamed messenger is taken many Muslims to be either Gabriel or Muhammad, as the following version points out:

That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger [i.e. Jibrael (Gabriel) or Muhammad SAW which he has brought from Allah]. Hilali-Khan

Apparently, Shakir and Sher Ali were both troubled by the claim that the Quran is the speech of a messenger that they decided to distort what the Arabic actually says:

Most surely, it is the Word brought by an honored Apostle, Shakir

That it is, surely, the word brought by a noble Messenger, Sher Ali

Here is the other citation stating that the Quran is the speech of a messenger:

truly this is the word (qawlu) of a noble Messenger (rasoolin kareemin) having power, with the Lord of the Throne secure, S. 81:19-20 Arberry

Note, once again, how Sher Ali changed the meaning of the Arabic:

That this is, surely, the word revealed to a noble Messenger,

He is joined by Hilali-Khan who insert parenthetical comments to dilute the plain meaning and implication of this particular reference:

Verily, this is the Word (this Qur'an brought by) a most honourable messenger [Jibrael (Gabriel), from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)].

One can see from the above examples the difficulties Muslims had with these specific references.

One can further see their dilemma from the way certain Muslim expositors tried to explain these particular texts. For instance, this commentary attributed to Ibn Abbas says regarding Q. 69:40 that:

(That it) i.e. the Qur'an (is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger) He says: the Qur'an is the Word of Allah which Gabriel brought down to an illustrious messenger, i.e. Muhammad (pbuh). (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs; source)

My Response:

The verse 69:40 reads :

 

“That this is verily the word of an honoured apostle;” (Quran 69:40)

Transliteration 69:40

 

“Innahu laqawlu rasoolin kareemin”

 

“qawl” also means “speech” or in the verb form as “speak”. Consider this example

 

“O Consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear (Allah), be not too complacent of speech (qawli), lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech(waqulna qawlan) (that is) just.” (Quran 33:32)

 

As he quoted the translation of Arberry. It reads

 

“it is the speech of a noble Messenger.” (Quran 69:40)

 

Lets read the verse in context

 

[069:040]  it is the speech of a noble Messenger.

 

[069:041]  It is not the speech of a poet (little do you believe)

 

[069:042]  nor the speech of a soothsayer (little do you remember).

 

[069:043]  A sending down from the Lord of all Being.

 

[069:044]  Had he invented against Us any sayings,

 

[069:045]  We would have seized him by the right hand,

 

[069:046]  then We would surely have cut his life-vein

 

[069:047]  and not one of you could have defended him.

 

Anyone who has little bit of brain can understand what is Allah (SWT) talking about in this passage. In verse 40 Allah (SWT) is saying that this is the speech of a noble Messenger. Meaning the noble messenger is giving you these things. In verse 41-42  it says that it is not the speech of a poet or soothsayer.

 

Now the question arises. Did the pagan Arabs consider Allah (SWT) to be a poet or a soothsayer?? No !!  Many of them even believed in Allah. The Quran says

 

“Say: "Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? and who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?" They will soon say, "Allah". Say, "will ye not then show piety (to Him)?" (Quran 10:31)

 

So Allah (SWT) in verses 40-42 is saying that it is the speech of a noble messenger. Meaning a noble messenger is giving you these things not a poet or a soothsayer. Verse 43 makes it very clear, what is the source of this message.

 

“A sending down from the Lord of all Being (Rab ul Alaameen)” (Quran 69:43)

 

In Verses 44-47 Allah (SWT) is saying how he would have punished him (Muhammad) if he had invented things on his own and attributed to him.

 

Lets analyze the other verse which Shamoun quoted. 81:19-21 Arberry

 

“[081:019]  truly this is the word of a noble Messenger

 

[081:020]  having power, with the Lord of the Throne secure,

 

[081:021]  obeyed, moreover trusty.”

 

The problem here is that Arberry has not been consistent in translating the same thing. Verses 69:40 and 81:19 are verbatim the same in Arabic but Arberry has not been consistent in translating them.This is how they read

 

“Innahu laqawlu rasoolin kareemin”

 

The translation of the verse 81:19 should be the same as 69:40

 

“it is the speech of a noble Messenger.”

 

Just like Palmer has done

 

“Verily, it is the speech of a noble apostle,” (Quran 81:19)

 

Now lets read the verse in context.

 

20. Endued with Power, with rank before the Lord of the Throne,

21. With authority there, (and) faithful to his trust.

22. And (O people!) your companion is not one possessed;

23. And without doubt he saw him in the clear horizon.

24. Neither doth he withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the Unseen.

25. Nor is it the word of an evil spirit accursed.

26. When whither go ye?

27. Verily this is no less than a Message to (all) the Worlds: (Y.Ali, Quran 81:20-27)

Again it is very clear from these verses. Allah (SWT) is saying to the people that a noble messenger is telling you these things. He is not possessed. And by verse 27 Allah (SWT) is telling again that this is a revelation for all the worlds.

 

Shamoun Wrote:

Yet for Allah to function as his own apostle entails that he assume some kind of visible appearance. After all, an apostle is one who is sent to another to convey a message, and the Quran and ahadith indicate that those specific messengers who are other than human beings often do this by appearing as humans:

And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East, And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit (Roohana) and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing. He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord (ana rasoolu rabbiki), that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. S. 19:16-19 Pickthall

 

My Response:

 

In these verses its talking about a “spirit” referring to Gabriel who assumed to Mary (Pbuh) the likeness of a man. He said that he is the messenger from the Lord. But these verses are in totally different context. Where as verses 69:40 and 81:19 are totally different.

 

Shamoun Wrote:

 

• On the other hand, if this noble messenger refers either to Gabriel or Muhammad then the Quran is identifying one of them as Allah or, at the very least, as being co-equal to Allah. Putting it simply, these particular passages are clearly saying that the Quran isn’t merely Allah’s word but the speech of some noble messenger as well.

My Response:

 

There is no co-equal to Allah. The Quran says

 

“And there is none like unto Him.” (Quran 112:4)

 

Speech of a messenger; Indicating that the messenger is giving these things and in context these verses are very clear what is Allah (SWT) talking about. The context in both these verses also tells us that it is a message from the Lord of the Worlds. The translators, many of them have added the words in brackets to make it easier for a common reader.