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"They will recline on Thrones arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful big and lustrous eyes."
The late Medinan sura 49 begins by telling the believers how to behave in the presence of Muhammad (vv. 1-5). One may wonder why a perfect and eternal book that contains religious and ethical instruction that is valid for all time would contain a section that applied only to people who lived in the first generation of Islam, but the answer to this is implied by the instruction to Muslims not to put themselves forward in Muhammad’s presence (v. 1). This means, says Ibn Kathir, that they should “not rush in making decisions before him, rather, follow his lead in all matters.” After Muhammad’s death Muslims can do that by heeding their prophet’s directives as recorded in the authentic ahadith – a fact that traditional Muslims use to rebuke contemporary Muslims who declare that they follow the Qur’an alone.
Then verses 6-18 follow with more general instructions to the believers. They should not believe the report of a wicked person (v. 6). Muhammad is among them, and if he obeyed the believers’ every wish – instead of Allah’s commands – there would be trouble (v. 7). Believers should not fight against one another, but they should join together to fight against a rebellious group until it returns to Allah’s truth (v. 9): this is a principal justification for infighting among Islamic sects. The true believers, however, are a single brotherhood (vv. 10, 13) – one that transcends all other ties, including the national and even familial. Maududi explains that “the national and racial distinctions that cause universal corruption in the world have been condemned.”
Then follows the chastising of a group of Bedouins whose faith is imperfect; they are exhorted to obey Allah and Muhammad (v. 14).
Muhammad used to recite the Meccan sura 50 every Friday during his Friday sermon, and on Eids -- the festivals at the end of Ramadan and the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. It begins with an oath -- “By the glorious Qur’an” (v. 1) -- but it is unclear who is swearing or what the oath is about. Ali suggests in a parenthetical note that it is an oath that Muhammad is a prophet: “By the Glorious Qur’an (Thou art Allah’s Messenger).” The Tafsir al-Jalalayn, in contrast, has it as an oath about the unbelievers: “By the glorious Qur’an, by the noble Qur’an, the disbelievers of Mecca have certainly not believed in Muhammad (s).”
But who is doing the swearing? Allah is according to Islamic doctrine the only speaker in the Qur’an, but it is curious that he the all-powerful deity would need to swear on things lesser than himself to establish his veracity. Yet such oaths proliferate in the latter part of the Qur’an (as it is arranged, not chronologically).
Verses 2-14 repeat again the wonders of the natural world as evidence of Allah’s power, and criticize the unbelievers for doubting the resurrection of the dead. Allah lists some earlier groups he destroyed – people who also rejected the resurrection and his messengers (vv. 12-14). Then follows a warning of the Day of Judgment and hellfire (verses 15-30). Each person is accompanied by two angels, one who records his good deeds and the other his bad deeds (v. 17). Those who reject Allah and worship other gods will be sent to hell (vv. 24, 26). The righteous, in contrast, will enter the gardens of Paradise (verses 31-35). Thus Muhammad should be patient (v. 39), for the Day of Judgment is coming (v. 42); the Qur’an is a warning (v. 45).
The Meccan sura 51 is a poetic meditation on the judgment, hell, and Paradise. Allah swears by the winds (v. 1) that what Muhammad has been promised is true (v. 5). The unbelievers are deluded (v. 9) and those who spread falsehood are accursed (v. 10) -- that is, those who scoff and ask when the Day of Judgment will come (v. 12). They will taste hell (v. 14), while the righteous will enjoy Paradise (v. 15), because they rose early to pray (v. 18) and gave alms to the needy (v. 19).
Verses 24-37 tell the story of Abraham’s “honored guests” – an account reminiscent of the visitation of the Lord and the “three men” to Abraham in Genesis 18. As in Genesis, the visitors tell Abraham that his wife will give birth to a son (v. 28), and she laughs derisively, as she is old and barren (v. 29). Then, also as in Genesis, the men go on to Sodom and Gomorrah, which are not named here, but are identified as a “guilty people” (v. 32) who will be destroyed (v. 33) after the righteous are evacuated (v. 35). Then follow more precedents of the destruction of unbelievers: Pharaoh (vv. 38-40); the people of ‘Ad (vv. 41-42); the people of Thamud (vv. 43-45); and Noah’s people (v. 46).
Verses 47-49 rehearse some of the signs of Allah in the natural world, and then in verses 50-53, Muhammad addressed the unbelievers. There is no indication, as there is in so many other places in the Qur’an, that Allah is telling Muhammad to say these things, and yet Muhammad speaks in the first person – making this another problematic passage for the Islamic belief that Allah is the sole speaker in the Qur’an. Then in verses 54-60 Allah reassures Muhammad, telling him to turn away from the unbelievers, and that it isn’t his fault that they don’t believe (v. 54). They will be punished on that dreadful Day (v. 60).
Sura 52 is also Meccan and deals with many of the same themes. Verses 1-28 deal with hell and Paradise. The unbelievers will be sent to the hell they denied (v. 14) and asked if the fire that is burning them is fake (v. 15). The blessed will enjoy the women of Paradise, who have “beautiful big and lustrous eyes” (v. 20), and will be joined by their families (v. 21). Ibn Kathir and the Tafsir al-Jalalayn agree that this has to do with the levels of Paradise: the believing children of pious people will be admitted to the levels their parents attained, even if they weren’t as pious. The righteous will also be served in Paradise by beautiful boys (v. 24). The Tafsir al-Jalalayn elaborates: “And there will circulate from all around them, for service, youths, delicate [in demeanour], of their own, as if, in terms of their beauty and immaculateness, they were hidden pearls, preserved inside shells, because when it [a pearl] is inside it, it is better than one that is not.”
Verses 29-48 excoriate the unbelievers, who accuse Muhammad of being demon-possessed (v. 29) and a poet (v. 30), and of fabricating the Qur’an (v. 33). But they can’t produce anything like it (v. 34). Did they create the heavens and the earth (v. 36)? Even if they saw a piece of the sky falling on them, they would say it was mere clouds (v. 44). So Muhammad should leave them alone (v. 45) and be patient (v. 48), for the unbelievers will get theirs on the Day of Judgment (v. 46).
Next week: Sura 53, "The Star": The real “Satanic verses” incident.
(Here you can find links to all the earlier "Blogging the Qur'an" segments. Here is a good Arabic Qur’an, with English translations available; here are two popular Muslim translations, those of Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, along with a third by M. H. Shakir. Here is another popular translation, that of Muhammad Asad. And here is an omnibus of ten Qur’an translations.)
Posted by Robert at September 28, 2008 7:50 AM
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"They will taste hell (v. 14), while the righteous will enjoy Paradise (v. 15), because they rose early to pray (v. 18) and gave alms to the needy (v. 19)."
Alms to the needy. Cripes. Of ALL the contradictions in Islam, that one drives me the most nuts. Aside from how Muslims treat women. And Jews. And homosexuals. And anybody who looks at them the wrong way, this whole idea that Muslims are so charitable is one of the biggest lies there are.
It's a Pillar, right? Yes, it is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. What does it mean? Hmmm. Like everything else under Islam it means whatever any Muslim wants it to mean to them. Personally. They get to decide what it means to them, and whatever they want it to mean, to them, personally, can be justified if they look hard enough.
Is Google all that hard? Nope. Here's what I read this Pillar means from about the 50 or so pro-Islamic websites I read:
1) Alms giving to the needy is a Pillar.
2) Only other Muslims can be considered as being "needy".
3) A Muslim should not publicize his giving. It's considered bragging and is frowned upon.
4) A Muslim should not judge other Muslims for their giving or lack thereof.
5) Each Muslim decides how much to give based on what he feels he can afford. Most sites gave no figure or formula. One site I read said that it should be 1% of his annual income minus his expenses such as his house, car, and work tools.
6) For those Muslims who cannot afford to give anything, the desire to give is enough to satisfy this Pillar.
What aggravates me the most about the Alms giving Pillar is that it is just one more example of the joke that is Islam that is so obvious to anyone who can read. Muslims have lived on, and controlled, the richest land the Earth has ever known for a hundred years, yet most of the Muslim world lives in abject poverty.
Nobody who decries "Islamophobia" seems to notice that.
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at September 28, 2008 9:53 AM
The woman in the picture is about 49 lbs overweight.
Is she an example of a celestial virgin?
The people in the picture look more oriental than Arabic. The woman fails the ,“beautiful big and lustrous eyes", test...And I don't see any 'beautiful boys', lurking in the background.
But probably they are behind the curtain, ready to 'serve' when called.
What does it mean, 'arranged in ranks'? Some dead jihadi's are more rank than others? In my estimation they are equally 'rank' so the thrones should be arranged in a circle. Or a crescent would be good in the case of Islam...
Posted by: duh_swami at September 28, 2008 12:11 PM
After Muhammad’s death Muslims can do that by heeding their prophet’s directives as recorded in the authentic ahadith – a fact that traditional Muslims use to rebuke contemporary Muslims who declare that they follow the Qur’an alone.How does one establish this when arguing with Qur'an-only Muslims that the Sunnah is just as important as the Qur'an? More specifically, is there anything in the Qur'an that states that other sources are to be followed, and which ones they are?
Sura 52 is also Meccan and deals with many of the same themes. Verses 1-28 deal with hell and Paradise. The unbelievers will be sent to the hell they denied (v. 14) and asked if the fire that is burning them is fake (v. 15). The blessed will enjoy the women of Paradise, who have “beautiful big and lustrous eyes” (v. 20), and will be joined by their families (v. 21).A solid refutation for anyone who claims that the translation here is actually 'raisins'.
Even if they saw a piece of the sky falling on them, they would say it was mere clouds (v. 44).So are Mohammedans forbidden from believing that clouds exist? That it's just a portion of the sky that's gray? More Islamic science?
Also, the picture - do Mohammedans actually consummate with their clothes on, or were you... oh, never mind!
Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 28, 2008 4:21 PM
Also, why is surah 52 titled Mount? Is their any Mountain there being alluded to, or does it mean the 'beautiful big and lustrous eyed' houris are to be mounted?
Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 28, 2008 4:24 PM
Okay, forget the article, that picture is CREEPY!!! Thanks for nothing Robert Spencer.
at September 28, 2008 5:56 PM
Robert Spencer stated:
"One may wonder why a perfect and eternal book that contains religious and ethical instruction that is valid for all time would contain a section that applied only to people who lived in the first generation of Islam, but the answer to this is implied by the instruction to Muslims not to put themselves forward in Muhammad’s presence (v. 1)."
Mr. Spencer, you are thinking too logically again!
Thank you again for an enlightening interpretation. Ignore the trolls, you are doing great work.
Posted by: dentalque at September 28, 2008 7:06 PM
IP:
How does one establish this when arguing with Qur'an-only Muslims that the Sunnah is just as important as the Qur'an? More specifically, is there anything in the Qur'an that states that other sources are to be followed, and which ones they are?
The Qur'an tells Muslims repeatedly to obey Muhammad (3:32; 3:132; 4:13; 4:59; 4:69; 4:80; 5:92; 8:1; 8:20; 8:46; 9:71; 24:47; 24:51; 24:52; 24:54; 24:56; 33:33; 47:33; 49:14; 58:13; 64:12). How can a modern Muslim who has never met Muhammad obey him? By following his example as delineated in the Sunnah. So orthodox Muslims argue against Qur'an-only Muslims by invoking these verses and arguing that the Qur'an itself tells Muslims, in effect, to obey the Sunnah.
Sura 52 is also Meccan and deals with many of the same themes. Verses 1-28 deal with hell and Paradise. The unbelievers will be sent to the hell they denied (v. 14) and asked if the fire that is burning them is fake (v. 15). The blessed will enjoy the women of Paradise, who have “beautiful big and lustrous eyes” (v. 20), and will be joined by their families (v. 21).A solid refutation for anyone who claims that the translation here is actually 'raisins'.
The claim is not that the translation is "raisins." The claim is that the whole text means something else from how it is understood in Islam, and that close examination of the Arabic text without the consonant and vowel points that were added later will reveal the original meaning of the text, which many scholars say was a Christian tract.
Even if they saw a piece of the sky falling on them, they would say it was mere clouds (v. 44).So are Mohammedans forbidden from believing that clouds exist? That it's just a portion of the sky that's gray? More Islamic science?
I don't see how any of that follows. The text is just saying that even if Allah threw down something from Paradise to earth, the unbelievers would continue to reject Islam.
Also, the picture - do Mohammedans actually consummate with their clothes on, or were you... oh, never mind!
Look, this is a Persian miniature from, if I recall correctly, around the 14th century. It depicts two earthly lovers, but I thought it a propos because of the houris. That's all.
Cordially
Robert Spencer
at September 28, 2008 10:53 PM
IP:
Also, why is surah 52 titled Mount? Is their any Mountain there being alluded to, or does it mean the 'beautiful big and lustrous eyed' houris are to be mounted?
Verse 1: "By the Mount..." The mountain in question, says Ibn Kathir, is similar to the one on which Allah spoke to Moses.
RS
Posted by: jihadwatch at September 28, 2008 10:56 PM
IP,
"More specifically, is there anything in the Qur'an that states that other sources are to be followed, and which ones they are?"
In addition to the many cited by Robert, there are some other references to extra-Quranic sources (i.e., besides the Quranic allusions to the previous scriptures). Muhammad also teaches the believers the Quran's contents and, most critically, teaches them the "Wisdom" (Hikmah), which many scholars take to mean Sunnah, Hadith. Quran 3:164 states:
3:164. “Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them an Apostle from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book [i] and the wisdom [ii], although before that they were surely in manifest error.” (Also see 2:129, 2:151, 4:113).
[i] alkitaba. [ii] waalhikmata
That refers to sources other than the text of the Quran itself, in particular, to Muhammad's teaching of the "wisdom." Of that verse, in arguing for the importance of Sunnah, Shaykh Shahidullah Faridi (quoted at SunniPath) writes:
“Here God has told us of the four functions of the Prophet, of which only the first refers to the Qur'an, "reciting His revelations"; the other three are besides this, of "purifying", "teaching the Book" and "teaching Wisdom". These four functions have been described as the purpose for which God has sent the Messenger, and God's guidance to man will be fulfilled and completed by all and not by one only. All these functions are therefore part of God's guidance through the person of the Prophet.”
Ibn Kathir explains the verse 3:164 as follows (excerpt from online version):
"The Magnificent Blessing in the Advent of Our Prophet Muhammad. Allah the Most High said: (Indeed Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves,) Meaning, from their own kind, so that it is possible for them to speak with him, ask him questions, associate with him, and benefit from him. […] Allah's favor is perfected when His Messenger to the people is from their own kind, so that they are able to talk to him and inquire about the meanings of Allah's Word. This is why Allah said, (reciting unto them His verses) [3:164], the Qur'an, (and purifying them), commanding them to do righteous works and forbidding them from committing evil. This is how their hearts will be purified and cleansed of the sin and evil that used to fill them when they were disbelievers and ignorant. (and instructing them (in) the Book and the Hikmah,) the Qur'an and the Sunnah, (while before that they had been), before sending this Prophet, Muhammad, (in manifest error.) indulging in plain and unequivocal error and ignorance that are clear to everyone."
Likewise, the Jalalayn interpret the word wisdom (hikmah) in 3:164 as "Sunnah."
Posted by: Kinana of Khaybar at September 29, 2008 6:17 AM
It is interesting that the Muslims have not figured out that the pictured Paradise is actually a refined Hell worse than even Milton could conjure. Imagine priapic for all eternity ruled by "the little man" with no respit possible would get old after the first million years or so. I dare say by the end of the first month or two they'd realize it's a different kind of Hell rather than a Paradise.
I'd rather have a more intellectually stimulating and challenging "Paradise", thank you.
{^_^}
at September 29, 2008 7:57 AM
It hadn't really struck me until recently that Persian art often contains representations of persons and physical objects, something generally forbidden in Islam. Robert, is that restriction not as tight in Shiism, or has it varied with time? I seem to recall medieval Sunni medical texts with representational art, too, so it must not have always been enforced in the Sunni world, either.
Regardless, Persian art is gorgeous. It's a shame the nation's current rulers are a bunch of barbarians.
Posted by: Anthony (Los Angeles) at September 30, 2008 1:53 AM
Look, this is a Persian miniature from, if I recall correctly, around the 14th century. It depicts two earthly loversI know, was pulling your leg. The concept of virgins as prizes in heaven itself is fodder for comedians.
Didn't mean to impugn the fine arts of medieval Persia, despite its contamination by Islam
Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 30, 2008 5:57 AM
Thank you again Mr Spencer for explaining and providing the texts for us to check for ourselves.
Mohammed has included snippets of language from the Bible but it is sadly lacking in explaination and continuation from the previously revealed text of the Bible. The resurrection and judgement is presumed, yet there is no proof of resurrection in the Qur'an as there is in the Bible. The resurrection is at the sound of a blast in the Qur'an; this is usually trannslated as 'the last trump' 1st Corinthians 15:52 and 1st thesalonians 4:13-18, which agrees with the Tanach - Yom Teruah/Leviticus 23 and Isaiah 18:3 and of course Daniel 7:9-10,13-14/Revelation 4/5 the throneS (only the Eternal can sit on the throne) are set up and the books are opened for judgment by the Ancient of Days and one like a son of man who is given an eternal dominion and kingdom......and it's not mohammed.
The Qur'an is clearly man-made, the language alone does not continue as it does in the New Testament - Alla cannot swear by himself as he is not an echad oneness (Isaiah 48:15-17). The King of the universe is not above his own law and must have 2 witnesses.
This looks a bit long-winded and boring, but I am sure there is one open minded Muslim who will check these references out for themselves.
Posted by: snufkin at October 2, 2008 4:24 PM
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