Odd. If this is really a sign from Allah, why does it make the baby so uncomfortable? In this it is reminiscent of Muhammad’s first revelation, in which — according to Bukhari, the collection of Hadith considered most reliable by Muslims — Gabriel left Muhammad in a state of terror and confusion:
The Prophet added, “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, ‘Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.” (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah’s Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, “Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, “I fear that something may happen to me.”
Here again we see turbulence and discomfort accompany an alleged revelation from Allah — belying in indirect but unmistakable terms the supposedly peaceful content of those revelations.
“Miracle or hoax? Russians puzzled as phrases from the Koran start appearing ‘spontaneously’ on baby’s skin,” from the Daily Mail, October 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):
A baby is sparking a wave of speculation in Russia after phrases from the Koran allegedly began appearing on his skin.
Sayings from the Muslim holy book are said to appear on nine-month-old Ali Yakubov’s back, arms, legs and stomach – before apparently fading away and being replaced with new sayings.
Russian medics claimed they are puzzled over the cause of the marks on a baby’s skin, which started when the word Allah apparently appeared on his chin within weeks of his birth. […]
Local MP Akhmedpasha Amiralaev said: ‘This boy is a pure sign of God. Allah sent him to Dagestan in order to stop revolts and tension in our republic.’
The boy’s mother claimed: ‘Normally those signs appear twice a week – on Mondays and on the nights between Thursdays and Fridays.
‘Ali always feels bad when it is happening. He cries and his temperature goes up. It’s impossible to hold him when it’s happening, his body is actively moving, so we put him into his cradle. It’s so hard to watch him suffering.’
The phrases regularly replace each other on the baby’s skin, she said.
Local imam Abdulla has told locals that the Koran forecasts that before the end of the world, there may be people with its sayings on their bodies….