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Neil Armstrong did what??
Ibn Kathir reports that Muhammad would recite sura 54, as well as sura 50, “during major gatherings and occasions because they contain Allah's promises and warnings, and information about the origin of creation, Resurrection, Tawhid [the oneness of Allah], the affirmation of prophethood, and so forth among the great objectives.” Sura 54 takes its name from its first verse, which refers to the splitting of the moon – a miracle that, according to a hadith, took place during Muhammad’s lifetime. As the Muslims looked agog at the moon split into two parts, Muhammad cried, “Witness, witness (this miracle).”
Some modern-day Muslims, however, claim that this verse constituted a prophecy that was fulfilled during Neil Armstrong’s moon landing in 1969, when the astronauts dug up a bit of the lunar soil and brought it back – although, despite their imaginative forays into numerology in connection with this claim, it is more than a stretch to consider that gathering of a small amount of soil as amounting to a splitting of the moon.
The rest of the sura centers around the refrain, “And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?,” which appears in vv. 17, 22, 32, and 40. A secondary refrain is “how (terrible) was My Penalty and My Warning,” which appears in vv. 16, 18, 21, and 30. Around these are familiar themes: the unbelievers turn away from Allah’s signs and scorn them as magic (v. 2); Muhammad should turn away from them and leave them alone until the Day of Judgment, when they will be punished (vv. 6-8). Noah and his flood are a warning to the unbelievers of Muhammad’s day (vv. 9-16), as is the destruction of the people of ‘Ad (vv. 18-22); the people of Thamud (vv. 23-31 – for the she-camel see here); Lot’s people (vv. 33-39); and Pharaoh and his people (vv. 41-42). Are the unbelievers who reject Muhammad better than they (v. 43)? They think they will be able to defend themselves if they band together (v. 44) but they will not escape the Day of Judgment (v. 46).
The Meccan sura 55 is organized around a poetic refrain that is repeated much more frequently than are those in sura 54: “Which of the Lord’s blessings will you deny?” (vv. 13, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 53, 55, 59, 61, 65, 67, 69, 77) – somewhat resembling Psalm 136, with its recurring “For his mercy endures forever,” although even here the Qur'an is focused on magnifying, refuting, and even mocking the perversity of the unbelievers' rejection of Islam. Says Maududi, “This is the only Surah of the Qur'an in which besides men the jinn also, who are the other creation of the earth endowed with freedom of will and action, have been directly addressed.” The jinn are addressed with humans in v. 31.
The first part (vv. 1-30) emphasizes Allah’s creative power and his control of earthly phenomena; the second part (vv. 31-78) warns of the Day of Judgment and again describes hell and Paradise. Little is said that has not been said many other times in the Qur’an. The “two Easts and two Wests” of v. 17 refer, says Ibn Kathir, to “the sunrise of summer and winter and the sunset of summer and winter” – a decidedly geocentric point of view.
Sura 56, another Meccan sura, once again warns of the Day of Judgment (vv. 1-7) and describes the rewards of the Companions of the Right Hand – that is, those who enter Paradise (vv. 10-40; 88-91). These include, of course, the legendary virgins (v. 36), who are a “special creation” (v. 35). One way in which they are special, according to Islamic tradition, is that their virginity is endlessly renewed, so that the believers’ experience of them is always just like the first. After this comes yet another description of the tortures of hell (vv. 41-56; 92-94), and a warning to mankind based on the signs of Allah’s power in the natural world (vv. 57-76). The sura concludes by praising the Qur’an as a divine revelation that only those who are ritually pure should touch (vv. 77-80). Allah taunts the unbelievers by asking them that if they believe the Qur’an to be false and consider themselves independent of him and his power, why don’t they intervene when a man is dying (v. 83) and call his soul back into his body (v. 87)?
The Medinan sura 57 was revealed after the Muslims conquered Mecca and faced few significant barriers to becoming the masters of all Arabia. It begins with a paean to Allah’s power and a question to the unbelievers: “What ails you that you do not believe in Allah?” (v. 8). The costs of the conquest may have left the Muslims short of funds, for Allah exhorts the Muslims to contribute to the Islamic cause, although he tells them that those who did so before the conquest of Mecca will be rewarded more abundantly than those who jumped on the bandwagon only when the Muslims had definitively defeated their enemies (vv. 10-11). Maududi explains: “Those who sacrifice their lives and expend their wealth to further promote the cause of Islam when it is already strong cannot attain to the rank of those who struggled with their lives and their wealth to promote and uphold the cause of Islam when it was weak.”
The righteous will be rewarded with the gardens of Paradise (vv. 12, 21), while the hypocrites will be punished (v. 13) with hell (v. 15). The Muslims should not be like the Jews and Christians, who received divine revelation but whose hearts grew hardened (v. 16). Instead, they should give generously (v. 18), for this world is just play and amusement, and earthly life is just deception (v. 20). Allah decrees and controls all earthly events (v. 22) – as the Tafsir al-Jalalayn explains: “No affliction befalls in the earth, by way of drought, or in yourselves, such as illness, or the loss of a child, but it is in a Book, meaning, the Preserved Tablet (al-lawh al-mahfūz), before We bring it about, before We create it.” Earlier prophets are invoked, along with the gift of iron, to show Allah’s solicitude for mankind (v. 25). One of these earlier prophets was Jesus, but his followers invented monasticism, which Allah had not commanded. They should instead have sought his will alone; many of the Christians are “rebellious transgressors” (v. 27). The Jews and Christians have no power over Allah’s grace (v. 29) – as the Tafsir al-Jalalayn says, this is “contrary to their claims that they are God’s beloved and those who deserve His beatitude.” Ibn Kathir explains that this verse means that “they cannot prevent what Allah gives, or give what Allah prevents.”
Next week: Sura 58, “The Pleading Woman”: “It is I and My messengers who must prevail.”
(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 October 12, 2008 7:50 AM
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"As the Muslims looked agog at the moon split into two parts, Muhammad cried, “Witness, witness (this miracle).”
I thought LSD wasn't synthesized until 1938?
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at October 12, 2008 8:54 AM
What is Muhammad taking about? Is it the Sinai Peninsula between the Red and Mediterranean Seas?
As for the repetition of the line, “Which of the Lord’s blessings will you deny?” It seems to me that preachers have always used repetition as a teaching (or indoctrinating) device. Communists did this also. Letterman uses this device for comedic effect. He just keeps saying the same line until people laugh. That’s why I always found him more boring than funny.
Thanks again for an interesting read.
at October 12, 2008 8:55 AM
Posted by: darcy at October 12, 2008 8:54 AM
Darcy,
On of the theories about Muhammad’s “prophecy” is that he may have some kind of organic brain disease that caused hallucinations.
at October 12, 2008 8:59 AM
The discovery of the scientific evidence of splitting the Moon brings a wave of new converts to Islam in America and Europe.
Fars News: The announcement of the news that the American astronauts have found the evidence of splitting the Moon by the holy prophet of Islam created a surge of interest among Americans and Europeans in Islam.
Fars News reported that according to the information provided by the Iran Quranic News Agency the American astronauts in their latest geological researches came to the conclusion that the planet Moon in a distant past had been split in two halves and it again has come together as the result of an action/reaction.
Iran Quranic News stated that according to the “Kuwait Chat News Base” this fact that was mentioned in a television by a spokesperson of a space agency of America was discovered when the American astronauts who wanted to hoist the flag of the USA on the "top" of the Moon were not successful to do that.
To find the cause of this problem, the astronauts conducted geological researches and as the consequence it became obvious to them that many years earlier the Moon had been split in two halves and then those halves were rejoined.
This news that testifies to the truth of the Quran and the holy prophet of Islam (pbuh) has resulted that many people in Europe and America express their interest to embrace the clear religion of Islam.
End of message.
The majority of Iranians do not have the basic necessities of life yet the Islamic Republic finds enough money to create a Quranic News Agency to make these kinds of asinine reports. The clerics realize that for them to survive, people must be kept ignorant. However, they only fool themselves. The Iranian youth laugh at these jokes even though the thinking Iranians weep at what has befallen to their country that was once upon a time the cradle of civilization and culture.
The above was a taken from a posting by Ali Sina on his website Faithfreedom.
It has often been argued, indeed G.K. Chesterton argued this, that Islam began as an imitation of Christianity.
Indeed it would seem to me that Islam is like the moon. It may shed some light but the original source of the light is elsewhere.
That, however, is simply how it begins. It ends by splitting the moon in halve, plunging us into darkness, a nihilistic cult of violence.
at October 12, 2008 9:29 AM
Something like splitting the moon in halve is actually a metaphor, albeit involuntary, where Mohammed actually reveals the true meaning of Islam.
Metaphors are not meant to be taken literally, in fact only when you understand their essence is their true meaning revealed.
I agree with Ali Sina, that the Iranian religious establishment want to keep their population ignorant. Which is why they put out ludicrous stories about American astronauts discovering evidence indication that the moon had once been split in halve.
If ordinary Iranian people reflected on the idea of a moon cult which culminates in splitting the moon in halve then they might begin to understand Islam.
at October 12, 2008 9:43 AM
What, no Green Cheese?
Something smells bad and I thought for sure someone cut it.
Posted by: flowerknife_us at October 12, 2008 9:49 AM
"....for this world is just play and amusement, and earthly life is just deception (v. 20). Allah decrees and controls all earthly events (v. 22)"
Of all the gods created by man, Allah is probably the most deceptive. In fact it even calls itself 'Khairul Maakereen'- 'The Best of Deceivers'
And this predestination thing it has going, my gods, what an evil little god it really is! It openly declares that it puts locks on the hearts and blinds the disbelievers purely for its own amusement so as it can torture its predestined creations in its first home, Hell. Dear oh dear!
Zeus-hu-akbar!
Posted by: dhimmiwit at October 12, 2008 9:54 AM
"Some modern-day Muslims, however, claim that this verse [Sura 54, "The Moon"] constituted a prophecy that was fulfilled during Neil Armstrong’s moon landing in 1969, when the astronauts dug up a bit of the lunar soil and brought it back – although, despite their imaginative forays into numerology in connection with this claim, it is more than a stretch to consider that gathering of a small amount of soil as amounting to a splitting of the moon."
-- from the exegesis of the Qur'an posted above
One small step for mankind. One giant step for Muslims, the only part of mankind that counts. A handful of dust brought down to earth apparently makes, in many Muslim minds, for two prophesied moities of moon.
Posted by: Hugh at October 12, 2008 10:31 AM
Is sura 54 a Meccan or Medinan sura? From the tone of it, I would guess it's from Muhammad's Mecca period.
"These include, of course, the legendary virgins (v. 36), who are a “special creation” (v. 35). One way in which they are special, according to Islamic tradition, is that their virginity is endlessly renewed, so that the believers’ experience of them is always just like the first."
Hirsi Ali expounded on Islam's obsession with virgininty in "The Caged Virgin." It's really nothing more than a weapon used to maintain total control over women, even at the cost of their lives should they sully their family's honor by losing their virginity before marriage. This verse is another example of Islam nature as a totalitarian system of governance.
Posted by: Phineas Fahrquar at October 12, 2008 11:13 AM
"One small step for mankind. One giant step for Muslims, the only part of mankind that counts. A handful of dust brought down to earth apparently makes, in many Muslim minds, for two prophesied moities of moon."
Cue Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss:
Muslims gather around a statue of the uncovered Venus di Milo, one of the few things left of Western civilization after World War 3 (or 4), pick up the Moon rocks they plundered from a museum and begin stoning the statue.
In the distance, the ghost of Charlton Heston falls on his knees in furious outrage and declaims:
"GOD DAMN YOU!!!"
at October 12, 2008 11:16 AM
The sura concludes by praising the Qur’an as a divine revelation that only those who are ritually pure should touch (vv. 77-80).
Hence the elaborate demands for delicate treatment of the Qur'an in prisons and elsewhere.
It seems odd -- and a bit anachronistic -- that this appears in Meccan sura, and for the following years where the Qur'an was primarily transmitted orally. I'm sure the Qur'anic commentators have various explanations, whether it be Allah's foresight or "touching" the Qur'an being broadly construed as reciting, studying, pondering, etc., but it still strikes me as rather curious.
Posted by: MarisolJW at October 12, 2008 11:25 AM
As for seeing the moon cleft in two, maybe that was prophesying the sartorial shortcomings of infidel plumbers.
Something for the apologists to keep in mind since the Neil Armstrong angle isn't really working out (you're welcome).
Posted by: MarisolJW at October 12, 2008 11:31 AM
Thanks Mr. Spencer for another great post in this series.
"Some modern-day Muslims, however, claim that this verse constituted a prophecy that was fulfilled during Neil Armstrong’s moon landing in 1969, when the astronauts dug up a bit of the lunar soil and brought it back"
Are these mainstream Muslims? 'Cause that's pretty weak tea.
Posted by: Spirit of 1776 at October 12, 2008 11:57 AM
The Quran does contain an explicit recognition that some of its verses are literal and others metaphorical (3:7). Muslim apologists may be embarrassed to discuss, with non-Muslims, this splitting of the moon verse. Yet there seem to be numerous scholars in mainstream Islamic tradition claiming this miraculous splitting of the moon literally occurred during the lifetime of Muhammad. Ibn Kathir also cites numerous ahadith, including from Bukhari, Muslim, and others, claiming that the moon was literally split (follow the link below and click on "next").
Ibn Kathir "[...] (and the moon has been cleft asunder.) It occurred during the time of Allah's Messenger , according to the authentic Mutawatir Hadiths the scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him. Hadiths mentioning that the Moon was split."
http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=54&tid=51249
al-Jalalayn “The Hour has drawn near, the Resurrection is close at hand, and the moon has split, it broke in two at [Mount] Abū Qubays and Qu‘ayqa‘ān, as a sign for the Prophet (s), for it had been demanded of him, and [when it took place] he said, ‘Bear witness [now]!’ — as reported by the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhārī and Muslim].”
[brackets in original]
http://al-islam.org/quran/
"The reference is a famous miracle of the Holy Prophet, recorded in several authentic traditions of the companions, particularly of the Ahl ul Bayt whose evidence is always true, performed at the insistent demand of the pagans and the Jews. The Jews who saw this miracle became Muslims but Abu Jahl said: "This is magic continuous". It is written in the Book of Joshua 10: 13: "So the sun stood still and the moon halted until a nation had taken vengeance on its enemies." So the Jews and the Christians cannot deny the possibility of "divine adjustment" in the solar system.
Some commentators think that the past tense is used here for the future-the moon will be rent asunder at the approach of the resurrection. Firstly authentic traditions relate the cleaving asunder of the moon, secondly the observation "this is magic continuous" in verse 2 leaves no room for the speculation of the enemies of the Holy Prophet. Even the Qadiani commentators, who habitually deny miracles, accept the incident to have taken place.
Aqa Mahdi Puya says:
Those who deny the miracle performed by the Holy Prophet will be punished as the people of Nuh were punished. Refer to verses 9 to 15."
Asbab al-Nuzul, Wahidi:
"(The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain) [54:1]. Abu Hakim Aqil ibn Muhammad al-Jurjani informed us (through verbal authorisation)> Abul-Faraj al-Qadi> Muhammad ibn Jarir> al-Husayn ibn Abi Yahya al-Maqdisi> Yahya ibn Hammad> Abu Awanah> al-Mughirah> Abul-Duha> Masruq> Abd Allah who said: The moon was split at the time of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, so the Quraysh said: This is an act of sorcery from the son of Abu Kabshah; he has cast a spell on you. Ask, therefore, the travellers whether they saw the moon split. They asked some travellers and they confirmed it. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain. And if they behold a portent they turn away and say: Prolonged illusion) [54:1-2]."
at October 12, 2008 12:39 PM
HMM...I did read somewhere, sometime, that in very ancient times there were two moons in the sky.
I don't know what happened to the second one and I can't vouch for this at all. But the idea of two moons is floating around somewhere, and possibly Mohammad heard about it and turned it into a Quranic miracle, he was always short on miracles. After all, no one at the time could disprove it. It sounds good, has lasted a long time and Mohammadans continue to get mileage from it.
It's odd that Mohammadans claim scientific knowledge of the cosmos, but the same Islamic authority said the world was flat...
at October 12, 2008 12:39 PM
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kGDRi74f3kU
at October 12, 2008 1:19 PM
Marisol, it looks like some translators and commentators think the Koran mentioned in 56:77 is a divine book "hidden" with Allah, which at the time was being imparted to Mohammed page by page so to speak.
Secondly, I notice that four translators for verse 78 put it in the future tense: "Which none shall touch but those who are clean".
So the logic is I guess, when the divine Koran is finally "published" in earthly form (Mohammed at the time only publishing parts in a serial fashion like installments), Allah is telling Muslims that nobody should touch it unless ritually clean.
Posted by: DenverRodeo at October 12, 2008 1:23 PM
Kinana
Ali Sina also addresses the moon aspect in this article. I recall some discussion on whether this was a claim that Mohammed himself actually split the moon, or whether it was what's discussed above.
Incidentally, that Malaysian astronaut who got himself into a twist over the qibla direction while in space - did he have any plans of a moon landing? Maybe the Mohammedans could try this the next time they venture into space - hey, they could even spend some billions building a mosque on the moon, instead of in our cities. Granted - the downside of that is that we'd never look at the moon the same way again were that to happen.
Posted by: Infidel Pride at October 12, 2008 3:20 PM
Darcy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot
No 7th century LSD required.
Posted by: skevin at October 12, 2008 5:44 PM
Kinana of Khaybar - It's difficult to tell from your post whether you buy this nonsense or not. You quote 'So the Jews and the Christians cannot deny the possibility of "divine adjustment" in the solar system.' From a scientific perspective, it matters not one whit what the religious texts of the Jews, Christians or Muslims have to say about these matters. They're all guilty of making up fairy tales and passing them off as fact, and the "evidence" brought forth in support of them is laughable.
Posted by: Eastview at October 12, 2008 7:06 PM
"Incidentally, that Malaysian astronaut who got himself into a twist over the qibla direction while in space..."
From a comment by Infidel Pride
Fascinating story, that. It occurred almost exactly a year ago. The full story can be found at http://sciencereligionnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/finding-mecca-from-space-praying-at.html. The astronaut in question was Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, and the problem was considered to be severe enough that the "...Malaysian Space Agency actually worried about this problem, and convened a conference of 150 Islamic scientists and scholars last year to resort (sic) some of these issue... The resulting document was called 'A Guideline of Performing Ibadah (worship) at the International Space Station (ISS)' and it got approval from Malaysia's Fatwa Council."
As anyone knows who has every written a proposal to NASA, there is a long list of certifications that have to be made in the proposal regarding adherence to government policies regarding equal opportunity hiring, non-discrimination on the basis of gender, race, religious preference, marital status, and sexual orientation, absence of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as non-usage of animals and human subjects in the proposed research. I wonder if now we will have to include some sort of statement about religious activities? If the above story is any indication, my bet is that the OIC has a subcommittee somewhere working up wording for this that will require special privileges be extended to Muslim astronauts.
Posted by: Eastview at October 12, 2008 7:36 PM
IP, Thanks for the link.
Eastview,
I definitely don't buy any of it (LOL). I cited those scholars to indicate that there is mainstream acceptance in Islam for the literal interpretation.
Posted by: Kinana of Khaybar at October 12, 2008 8:25 PM
Kinana, thanks. I thought that was probably the case. Sorry if I appeared to suggest otherwise.
Posted by: Eastview at October 12, 2008 11:11 PM
"Some modern-day muslims, however, claim that this verse constituted a prophecy that was fulfilled during Neil Armstrong’s moon landing in 1969"
'I informed my mother that people had walked on the moon. Ma said it was nonsense. "The Kiristaan are so fanciful, they could take an airplane to a mountain and think it's the moon." '
-- from Hirsi Ali's "Infidel"
at October 13, 2008 1:40 PM
Thanks again for all the references and the time you put into these classes.
The merciful? really? Just reading the maududi themes shows he fails on every account NOT to be merciful. If the world is functioning under Alah's influence then everywhere Islam goes it destroys, as mentioned by other viewers in virtually all previous classes. If anyone is guilty on the final judgement day it;s Mohammed. I never really understood why the books were opened each Rosh HaShana (Daniel 7) but if I were Mohammed, I would be devastated to see where my words/actions had led.
As for the world bending to Islam, why? It's to detract or dissuade anyone from looking at the original Jewish sources. Even if you're a Christian, and I would say I am, though I practice differently; it's impossible to read the N.T or the TNK without going from a Jewish perspective or knowing the contents/background/language of the siddur/holiday siddurs and knowing early Jewish writings e.g. Targums, Talmud, Rashi, Rambam etc.
Posted by: snufkin at October 16, 2008 5:27 AM
Some modern-day Muslims, however, claim that this verse constituted a prophecy that was fulfilled during Neil Armstrong’s moon landing in 1969, when the astronauts dug up a bit of the lunar soil and brought it back
This could explain the unfounded rumors of Armstrong converting to Islam, since having an infidel play the main role in the fulfillment of an Islamic prophecy would be an embarassing theological tangle.
Also worth noting is how much of the Muslim world believes in 9/11 conspiracy theories, yet accepting the idea of fake lunar landings would not be as palatable a theological position to take with regards to this prophecy.
Posted by: yadayada at October 16, 2008 6:54 PM
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