Fatwas: Part Twenty-Eight

Issued by: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, translated by: Ahmed Fathy

This Excellent Man

Published in March 2, 2013

Question and answer: We have received this letter, via email, to congratulate us on our birthday from Sawsan, the daughter of our late dear friend the priest Ibrahim Abdel-Sayed, who struggled peacefully and intellectually against the tyranny of pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, and who was patient with severe persecution for the sake of reforming the Coptic Church. She writes: (… Many happy returns of the day, my dear honorable friend, this is the very first time I send you any letters, and I feel happy an take pride in wishing you all the best on your birthday; you've been one of the nearest intimate friends of my late father, may the Lord bless his soul, … I wish you a long life… Sawsan.). We replied to her saying: (…You are very welcome to contact us anytime, and your letter made me happy, our dearest daughter. Your grate late father, may the Lord have mercy on his soul, was our dear brother and friend, the nearest one to our heart … He was one of the greatest Egyptian thinkers and reformists that we have had the honor of getting acquainted with … Please send our regards to all your dear family members … Again, thank you for your kind letter, and I feel grateful and indebted to you … Your Uncle, Ahmed S. Mansour.). She replied to our reply saying: (…A thousand thanks, dearest Uncle, for having the time ad care to reply to my message…). We again replied to her saying: (… It is we that thank you very much for keeping in touch with us. Please send our regards and warmest salutations to all your dear family members. The memory of your dear late father will remain inside our heart forever, and our wife and sons remember his dearly and cherish his memory, for he was a great friend of our family. May God have mercy on him and preserve you …). NOTE: we publish here such messages for two reasons: 1) in order to acknowledge the great position of the late Coptic priest and reformist thinker Ibrahim Abdel-Sayed and his intellectual struggle, and we would like to express our appreciation of our friendship; he was one of the main pillars of the Ibn Khaldoun Center forums at the time when we headed them in the 1990s, and 2) we apply the Quranic sharia here that considers all peaceful persons as Muslims in terms of behavior regardless of their faiths and beliefs. The real disbelievers and infidels are the aggressive, violent ones who manipulate the name of God and the name of His religion to commit sins of compulsion in religious and massacring others among many other injustices, like Wahabi Arab rulers. The great late priest Ibrahim Abdel-Sayed was a very polite, modest man with high moralistic and ethical level as well as tolerance and love for all people, apart from his adherence with his Christianity. This is why we loved and respected him deeply; both he and we were victims of religious persecution inflicted on us by tyrants. As we write this, we feel deeply sorry for Egypt that has been occupied by its veritable arch-enemies: the tyrannical terrorist MB group members who would spare no time to turn their rule of Egypt into a destructive, hateful theocracy. We reminds readers that our intellectual endeavors/jihad in writings for years have warned against such terrible fate for Egypt and we have suffered a lot to attempt to make our voice reach people, but in vain. May God save our beloved Egypt and deliver it soon enough.            

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How Muhammad Applied the Quran

Published in March 12, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … some historians assert that Prophet Muhammad's lifetime was not long enough to apply all of the Quranic teachings, is that true? … They mean to say that he died before applying all Quranic commands and legislations, especially the ones addressed to him in some Quranic verses … What do you think? … Thank you  …  

Answer:

  The mission of Prophet Muhammad was confined to conveying the Quranic message, and he performed this mission perfectly well. It was beyond his capacity, and indeed anyone's capacity, to apply all Quranic commands and legislations. For instance, Muhammad did not apply the Quranic command of roaming the earth to see how the creation started. "Say, "Roam the earth, and observe how He originated the creation."…" (29:20). Besides, God never burdens any soul beyond its capacity.    

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Othman and Ali

Published in December 8, 2012

Question: … Dear Sir, … Did the caliphs Othman and Ali participated in the Arab conquests? What about their stances toward it as per history books? Did historical accounts mention any names of people who opposed the Arab conquests? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 As far as historical accounts are concerned, Othman and Ali did not participate in the Arab conquests committed during the caliphate of Omar, and Ali did not within the caliphate of Othman. Omar prevented some leading companions from such participation for political reasons. Othman went on conquering more countries during his caliphate. Ali did not as he was too busy within the Arab civil war between him and Mu'aweiya ended in the death of Ali. For more information about the era of the Arab conquests, we refer you to our book titled "The Unspoken-of History of the Pre-Umayyad 'Righteous' Caliphs" found in English on this link:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=83

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Charity for One's Parents

Published in March 11, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is spending on one's wife, children and parents considered religious obligation or duty, or part of optional charity and good deeds?  … Thank you …     

Answer:

  Charity is when you donate money for those whom you are not obliged to spend money on. Hence, spending on your family members living at your house (i.e., wife, children and parents) is part of religious duties and not part of charity donations. As for parents who do not live in at one's house, one is obliged to spend on them if they are poor, and to care for them and their needs if they are old but well-off. "They ask you what they should give. Say, "Whatever charity you give is for the parents, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and the wayfarer. Whatever good you do, God is aware of it." (2:215); "Charities are for the poor, and the destitute, and those who administer them, and for reconciling hearts, and for freeing slaves, and for those in debt, and in the path of God, and for the traveler in need-an obligation from God. God is All-Knowing, Most Wise." (9:60). It is left for one's estimation whether one's parents deserve charity money or not; it is important to be kind to them whatever their financial status might be.

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Am I An Adulteress?

Published in July 15, 2008

Question: … Dear Sir, … I'm married to my beloved husband for seven years in sheer bliss and love, but in the past year, both myself and my husband encountered many problems that shook our love … I'm still very much in love with him, but he no longer have sex regularly with me as he used to be … I once called him to bed to make love to me, but he refused and slept outside the bedchamber … I begin to have sex chat with anonymous men online … But at one time, a man asked me to masturbate on webcam without seeing my face, and I was so horny and I did just that … I feel so guilty, and I'm consumed with remorse … Am I an adulteress? Does this mean I've cheated on my husband?! … I'm sorry to bother and shock you …     

Answer:

   You are welcome to our website, our daughter. Undoubtedly, what you've done is a sin, but not fornication or adultery. You have insulted your humanity and your femininity in the first place, before you have disobeyed God. Please try to use your time well in useful activities. The internet is a blessing; do not turn it into a tool for sinning. This applies to anything else in life. Use your time to read our entire archive of writings on our website, and read articles by others of our fellow Quranists. Read scientific articles and any writings on any topics you choose online to discover the pleasure of knowledge about human beings, nature, and the world. As for your husband, try to find out the real reason of his avoiding having sex with you, especially if he is healthy. Your husband might be suffering psychologically, and if he is upset because of you, try to make amends to him. If your troubles are not over, you should solve all problems and troubles to regain his desire for you. Try to get nearer to him; conjugal problems might be the cause of his refraining to make love to you. Try to open a new leaf in your life together. Again, try to lead a better spiritual life by adhering to piety in the fear of God. Do your best to regain your lost happiness and reform your marriage. May God bless an help you.      

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Obliged to Accept Usury

Published in May 14, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I was obliged to get a bank loan with compound interest, which is similar to usury … After settling the loan and debts, I suffer now bangs of conscience, because I know usury is prohibited in Islam … What am I to do to atone or my sin?! … Thank you for your time …    

Answer:

  Since Almighty God allows in the Quran that obliged people may eat prohibited food items "…unless you are compelled by necessity…" (6:119), the obliged one is not cursed or regarded as a sinner. This applies to those who had to borrow money at interest and those forced to utter blasphemies or words of disbelief: "…except for someone who is compelled, while his heart rests securely in faith…" (16:106). Sin of usury is on those money-lenders  who give loans at interest, NOT on those who were obliged to accept this, because usury is prohibited because of the harm done to borrowers. Rest assured, our brother that you are guiltless.  

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Various Questions

Published in July 29, 2008

Question: These questions came from different people: 1) Could you please shed more light on the verse 41:44, and how the Quranic verses are made clear? … 2) Does God prefer the Quran to His other celestial books? … 3) How come that the verses 2:190 and 9:29 are not contradictory? … 4) Does the verse 2:62 imply that there is room in Paradise for those who refuse the Quranic message conveyed to Muhammad but believe in monotheism and previous Scriptures? …      

Answer:

  1) Quranic verses are made clear to readers because they explain and interpret one another; some are brief an condensed, and some other contain detailed explanation. For instance, if you group the Quranic verses about forbidden food items, you will find that they explain one another; see 5:3 and 6:145. Another example are verses that contain the expression: "They ask you about … Say". As for the verse 41:44, it tackles the stubbornness of polytheists in Arabia who refuse to accept the Quran despite its being clear in their tongue.

  2) The Quran asserts the other previous scriptures and it overrules and replaces them now because God preserves it intact until the Last Day. When you believe in the Quran, this includes the belief in previous Scriptures as well, and there are not much differences among them and the Quran in essentials. This meaning is repeated in 2:41, 2:146, and 5:43-47.

  3) We have written before about tributes imposed only on defeated aggressive party, as no real Muslims are allowed to fight except in cases of self-defense; we refer you to our previous fatwas and articles (in English) on the following links:

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=12913

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=6674

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=13233

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=13230

4) See point No. 2 above. The verse 2:62 refers to monotheistic people before the revelation of the Quran. After the advent of Islam  and the Quranic revelation, one is to believe in it and apply it by performing good deeds in order to go to Paradise. Please read more on our archive of writings.

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People of the Book Again

Published in October 6, 2012

Question: … Dear Sir, … I do believe that God mentions many different types and groups of the People of the Book (Jews + Christians) and talking about them negatively and positively … Why is that? Can you shed more light on that and explain it to me? … I do not want to think about it alone because I fear getting confused or feeling any contradictions, because the Quran can never be contradictory … Thank you …   

Answer:

   First of all, of course, the Quran does not contain any contradictions regarding that topic or any other topics. During Muhammad's lifetime in Arabia and before it, some of the People of the Book were good believers and some were not, and groups of them are described in the Quran accordingly, as per their different deeds, stances, and beliefs. We refer you to our articles, fatwas, and books about persecution of Copts and the difference between the Quran terms "Jews" and "Israelites". Please try to search in our archive first before posing repeated questions.       

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God's Holy Epithets and Names

Published in October 21, 2006

Question: … Dear Sir, … As per the verse 7:180, we are to implore God using His Holy Epithets and Divine Names, but what are they exactly, as per the Quran alone? … Of course, Sufis, Sunnites, and Shiites have invented names that are wrong and have nothing to do with God  … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Please wait for our coming book about Holy Epithets and Divine Names of God based on the Quran, and we have referred in it to the fact that the Muhammadans invented some that have nothing to do with the Quran and use such names to their children as well preceded by the prefixes (Abdul-) and (Abdel-), which mean literally "slave of". In general, we are never to describe and implore God using names and epithets outside the Quranic text, so as not to commit the sin of blasphemy: "To God belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call Him by them, and disregard those who blaspheme His names. They will be repaid for what they used to do." (7:180).  

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The Night Journey and Ascendance to Heavens

Published in January 28, 2007

Question: …  Dear Dr. Mansour, … Why do not you tackle the topics of the Night Journey of Muhammad, mentioned in the verse 17:1, and Muhammad's assumed ascendance to the heavens? Are they both lies and falsehoods based on misunderstanding of the Quran? Are they true? Is the Night Journey true as per 17:1 but ascendance to the heavens false as per 17:93? … What do you think? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  My detailed view will be expressed in our book, coming soon on our website, which links the Prophet's Night Journey, see 17:1, to the Night of Decree, see 71:1, to Mount Al-Tur in Sinai, while negating the myth of anyone ascending to heaven, whether Muhammad, Jesus, Elijah, or Enoch, and refuting the myth of Jerusalem being linked to the Night Journey, as this city is never mentioned in the Quran.

 We briefly assert the following here: the verse 17:1 talks about Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey from Mecca to Mount Al-Tur in Sinai, the real location of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and this verse has been revealed while Muhammad was in Mecca before his immigration to Yathreb. The term 'Aqsa' in Arabic means 'far away', but the Umayyad caliph built a grand mosque in Jerusalem and called it ''Aqsa'' as he invented the myth that Muhammad prayed in it. the Night Journey is mentioned again in the verses 53:13-17, as the scene described here is Muhammad seeing arch-angel Gabriel at Mount Al-Tur in Sinai, Egypt, within an ethereal vision and a miracle no one else had experienced; this is why God has said to Muhammad: "…We did not make the vision We showed you, except as a test for the people…" (17:60).  This miraculously predicted the fact that people in later eras would invent myths regarding this even. Muhammad, and other prophets, never ascended to the heavens; this notion is part of pagan mythology that some people have interpolated and added to stories of prophets. Ascendance to heaven in the Quran is linked ONLY to angels of God, and the verse 17:93 negates any human beings (prophets or not) flying into heaven. The very first 20 verses of the Quranic Chapter 53 tackle Muhammad's seeing Gabriel on earth as this angel descended from heaven to earth, and this is NOT to presume that Muhammad 'flew' up to heaven to meet Gabriel, as myths of the Muhammadans in their Middle-Ages book tell us. These myths of Muhammad's ascending into heaven are refuted in this verse "He saw him on another descent." (53:13). This means that Gabriel descended to meet Muhammad, NOT Muhammad ascending to meet him. hence, the Quranic Chapter 53 refutes the myth of a mortal's ascendance to heavens, not asserting it as the Muhammadans claim. This is why polytheistic disbelievers at one point defied Muhammad to ascend to heaven as per 17:93. This means he did not. Muhammad felt sad because of their asking him for miracles, and God has said to him: "We know that what they say grieves you. It is not you they reject, but it is God's revelations that the wicked deny." (6:33). Another verse refuting the myth of Muhammad's ascendance to heavens is as follows: "If you find their rejection hard to bear, then if you can, seek a tunnel into the earth, or a stairway into the heaven, and bring them a sign. Had God willed, He could have gathered them to guidance. So do not be of the ignorant." (6:35). This means that Muhammad as a mortal and a human being could not do that, the Sunnite myths contradict the Quran by inventing countless myths and falsehoods about Muhammad including his assumed ascendance to the sky. Most haters of Islam today mock Muhammad because of such myths; inventors and fabricators of such myths, narratives, and hadiths were the real arch-enemies of the Quran. in their myths, they claim that God commanded Muhammad to perform five prayers during the assumed ascendance to heavens, while forgetting that prayers in their timing and way of performance were inherited from Abraham's religion and traditions before Muhammad was born. To read more in English on our website about Mount Al-Tur in Sinai and its link to the Night Journey of Muhammad, we refer readers to this link that contains an annex within our book titled "Egypt in the Holy Quran":

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/chapter.php?main_id=834          

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Muslim History

Published in May 20, 2012

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I realize now from your writings that history of Muslims must be read from an entirely new angle (without sanctifying or deifying any mortals) since we cannot trust any of the so-called hadiths … But what are the trusted history accounts and books to begin reading them, in your opinion? … Thank you …         

Answer:

  Of course, you are to being reading our archive of researches and books of history first. The problem with other sources is their unfamiliar language for general readers (such as history of Al-Tabari), while modern books sometimes contain shallow writings; if you know a foreign language, you can read in it very useful history textbooks on Arabs. In our writings, we try to simplify the language and diction as much as we can to allow non-specialist readers to understand. Of course, the cyberspace is filled with useful websites that quote very interesting passages of authoritative history books and offer commentaries on them. Please wait for other books of ours on many historical eras from the lifetime of Muhammad till the Mameluke Era, to be published successively on our website.   

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Legislations Regarding Acts of Worship

Published in August 16, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK for a Quranist to perform acts of worship of the Sunnite religion such as funeral prayers, to fast on Mondays and Thursdays every week, to celebrate feasts of Ashura, Adha, and Fitr, etc., or one this way would be falling into the tarp of following Satanist sharia never linked to Quranic sharia? … Thank you …

Answer:

  One cannot invent or add acts of worship never mentioned in the Quran. All acts of worship within Islam are exclusively mentioned in the Quran, especially ones inherited as traditions of the Abraham's  religion plus the new ones in the Quranic verses about certain legislations regarding performing prayers, ablution, Tayammum,  Zakat, charity alms, etc. Let us bear in mind that Satan and devils never vanished or tendered their resignation after the revelation of the Quran was completed and Muhammad died; the Muhammadans have repeated all sins of the past peoples and their ancestors and they have twisted and distorted acts of worship and added to them things never commanded by God, like feasts you mention and so on and so forth. Such inventions are corrupting one's piety. All acts of worship (prayers, fasting, etc.) in the Quran are available to be performed anytime and one can do more but without making such individual increase in acts of worship be labeled as obligatory sharia laws.     

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Taqiyya

Published in August 7, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I desire that you explain further your acceptance, as a Quranist, for the practice of Taqiyya sometimes in certain cases, as I've inferred from one of your articles … Is not Taqiyya a type of telling lies?! … Thank you for your time …     

Answer:

  We never implied that one is allowed to tell lies or falsehoods by denying his or her faith; we meant by Taqiyya not the Shiite notion of hiding one's faith to deceive people, but hiding or denying it in life-threatening situations when tyrants practice on one the horrible sin of compulsion in religion and threaten to persecute one severely. "Whoever renounces faith in God after having believed-except for someone who is compelled, while his heart rests securely in faith-but whoever willingly opens up his heart to disbelief-upon them falls wrath from God, and for them is a tremendous torment." (16:106). This applies also in cases when believers live within a tyrannical  State that persecutes them and force them to fight other peaceful people: "Believers are not to take disbelievers for friends instead of believers. Whoever does that has nothing to do with God, unless it is to protect your own selves against them. God warns you to beware of Him. To God is the destiny." (3:28). Hence, this Quranic notion of hiding or denying one's faith verbally to avoid persecution or torture is OK. As for the Shiite Taqiyya, it is practiced so often because the Shiites suffered centuries of persecution, and they still do it until now to deceive others for any purpose, even when they are not persecuted, and this is wrong of course.   

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Jihad Before the Quran

Published in October 7, 2015

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Were people before the Quran commanded by God to perform jihad or fight for His Sake? … Why cannot I register a new account for myself now on your website?  … Thank you …   

Answer:

  Please wait for our article on fighting or jihad for God's sake in the eras before the Quran was revealed. We have suspended automatic registration for a while, those who would like to register must send us an email message (from a new email not used before) containing his/her full name, the pseudonym to be used online (optional), age, degrees, cultural background, location of residence, and location of birth. Newcomers are to adhere to two conditions: never to ascribe any hadiths to Muhammad and never to deny any Quranic fact acknowledged by Quranists. Later on, we will create an account for him/her and send them a username and a password via email, so that the newcomer would write comments. Later on, people can be promoted to be writers of articles on our website. Please accept our best regards. As for jihad within real Islam, Quranism, we refer you to this article of ours, in English, found on this link:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=11214

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When the Girl, Buried Alive, Is Asked

Published in August 28, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … In the KSA, a father has tortured his five-year-old daughter to death, and the court acquitted him! … They claim that the case was a manslaughter, and they quoted the story of Abraham when he was about to slay his first born  … Strangely, they never quoted 81:8 to punish this criminal … I feel so sorry for the poor girl and her mother that was weeping in court … What do you think?     

Answer:

God says in the Quran: "When the girl, buried alive, is asked. For what crime was she killed?" (81:8-9). Let us remember that as per the Quranic story, Abraham was not commanded to slay Ishmael, he saw a vision or a dream and was tested by it. besides, Quranic stories are never source of legislations at all in Islam (Quranism). The Quran repeats three times the prohibition of killing one's progeny of both genders, as this horrid practice spread among Arabian men at the time in the 7^th century A.D. Sadly, the backward, retrograde, obscurantist pre-Islamic era goes on by Wahabis in any masculine, patriarchal society with its earthly, man-made, fabricated religious notions, which are based on aggression, violence, massacres, fanaticism, bigotry, political tyranny, religiosity or religious hypocrisy, and compulsion in religion. Hence, Wahabism is used to subjugate and oppress women and children in the KSA, that figuratively bury women and female children alive, despite the condemnation of this heinous act in 81:8-9, and sometimes, women and female children get killed in the KSA, as its society consists of oppressed males (suppressed and oppressed by the political and religious authorities) who oppress in their turn women and female children, and Wahabi notions and hadiths would provide pretext and justification for such severe injustices. Indeed, Wahabism is the ideology of ISIS terrorists and their likes, and KSA is the axis of evil worldwide until now, and it is utterly disgraceful that such evil of the KSA would be ascribed to the great religion of Islam instead of the man-made cursed religion of Wahabism. God says in the Quran: "Do not ever think that God is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only defers them until a Day when the sights stare. Their necks outstretched, their heads upraised, their gaze unblinking, their hearts void. And warn mankind of the Day when the punishment will come upon them, and the wicked will say, "Our Lord, defer us for a little while, and we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." Did you not swear before that there will be no passing away for you? And you inhabited the homes of those who wronged themselves, and it became clear to you how We dealt with them, and We cited for you the examples. They planned their plans, but their plans are known to God, even if their plans can eliminate mountains. Do not ever think that God will break His promise to His messengers. God is Strong, Able to Avenge." (14:42-47). As always, God says nothing but the Truth.     

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Gog and Magog

Published in January 16, 2012

Question: … Dear Sir, … My 16-year-old son posed this question to me and I'd like you to answer it, because I could not … bout the Quranic verse 2:30, how angels knew about bloodshed on earth if indeed Adam is the very first human being? Besides, Adam was a successor to whom exactly? … Thank you for your time…  

Answer:

  God says in the Quran: "When your Lord said to the angels, "I am placing a successor on earth." They said, "Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?" He said, "I know what you do not know." (2:30). We tend to believe that before Adam and his wife descend into earth, there were other human beings who shed blood and caused corruption on earth, and those people were Gog and Magog. We maintain that these people had high technological advancement, and they might have wiped out Adam and his progeny; this is why God had sent the figure/character of (Zul-Qarnain) to trap them inside the crust of the earth, as per the Quranic Chapter 18. Hence, for hundreds of centuries, humanity succeeded Gog and Magog on earth, and NOT successors of God as Sunnite myths assert. Hence, angels in 2:30 feared that human beings might shed blood and corrupt the earth like Gog and Magog when they controlled earth as corrupters: "They said, "O Zul-Qarnain, the Gog and Magog are spreading chaos in the land. Can we pay you, to build between us and them a wall?"" (18:94). The signs that usher the end of days shortly before the Day of Resurrection includes two things, among them that Gog and Magog would get out of the earth shortly before the destruction of the universe: "And when the Word has fallen on them, We will bring out for them from the earth a creature which will say to them that the people are uncertain of Our revelations." (27:82); "He said, "What my Lord has empowered me with is better. But assist me with strength, and I will build between you and them a dam." "Bring me blocks of iron." So that, when he had leveled up between the two cliffs, he said, "Blow." And having turned it into a fire, he said, "Bring me copper to pour over it." So they were unable to climb it, and they could not penetrate it.  He said, "This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes true, He will turn it into rubble, and the promise of my Lord is always true." On that Day, We will leave them surging upon one another. And the Trumpet will be blown, and We will gather them together." (18:95-99). "" (21:96-97). As Gog and Magog live inside the curst of the earth, they will emerge shortly before the end of the world, before the great earthquake mentioned in the Quranic Chapter 99. Such miraculous predictions of the Quran are supported by archeological excavations of lost civilizations and how pyramids and sphinx in Egypt were built, as well as pyramids in Mexico and other pyramids submerged under seas and oceans. We tend to think that Gog and Magog might live in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. UFOs might be of Gog and Magog who discover the earth (as they have high-tech tools that are more advanced than those of human beings) before they re-emerge one day. All such scientific discoveries support the Quranic predictions, even if those scientists never heard of the Quran. May God come to the help and aid of all of us.         

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What about the Verse 89:3?

Published in December 20, 2016

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I wonder what does the Quranic verse 89:3 refer to? … Any ideas? Thank you for your time …    

Answer:

  The Quranic verse 89:3 is loosely translated into English as "And by the even and the odd." And in Quranic Arabic it reads: "Wa Al-Shaf3 wa Al-Watr", which refers, in our opinion, to the fact that each creature will be resurrected to come to God alone, as ''Watr'' means individually or alone, or an odd number, whereas the word Al-Shaf3 means intercession, as each of the resurrected human beings among the true believers in God will have their good deeds to intercede on their behalf, and this is an even number (Al-Shaf3) because each resurrected soul will have two angels to as a guide/driver and a witness, as per this verse: "And every soul will come forward, accompanied by a driver and a witness." (50:21). 

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The Creature

Published in November 19, 2014

Question: …  Dear Dr. Mansour, … Days ago, a man who claims to be one of the Quranists, but I'm sure he is not, began to upload videos on YouTube and write on his social media accounts that he is ''the creature'' sent by God to announce the end of days as per this verse: "And when the Word has fallen on them, We will bring out for them from the earth a creature which will say to them that the people are uncertain of Our revelations." (27:82) … I'm sure this liar has nothing to do with you or your IQC in VA, USA  … But would please refute him, by explaining 27:82 to us? … Thank you …     

Answer:

   Thank you, our dear son, or telling us about this imposter; many Wahabis hire such imposters to tarnish the image and reputation of Quranists worldwide, especially in the Arab world. Wahabis are furious because the number of Quranists increases with the passage of time. We do not need to defend ourselves; any reasonable person would read us to know the real Quranists and their principles and constitution (found in English on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=15303 ). Could you please, our son, follow the news of that imposter/ creature and write an article about him. The disbelievers are indeed like cattle and non-human creatures that have no brains: "The worst of creatures to God are the deaf and dumb-those who do not reason. Had God recognized any good in them, He would have made them hear; and had He made them hear, they would have turned away defiantly." (8:22-23); "The worst of creatures in God's view are those who disbelieve. They have no faith." (8:55). 

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You Cannot Add to Scripture

Published in July 24, 2012

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … Can one change inheritance shares mentioned in the Quran as regarding working women of education who spend on their children … Is that ijtihad (using brains to understand and apply the Quranic text) or violation of God's laws? …Thank you …    

Answer:

  Inheritance shares mentioned in the Quran are not changeable for any reason, a brother gets the share equal to two sisters, regardless if the female inheritors are working, wealthy, have their PhD degrees, illiterate, (un)married, etc. You cannot apply ijtihad and add to the Quranic Scripture something it does not contain. Please read our archive of fatwas, articles, and books first before you pose repeated questions to save us our time.

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Three instead of Five Daily Prayers

Published in March 13, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … I like the idea of some members of other schools of thought and religious reform that advocate the idea that the Quran mentions three times of daily prayers and not five … I know those people are not Quranists like you, but they have their own schools of Quranist thought that have nothing to do with yours, but why do not you adopt their view to alleviate things and facilitate matters for believers? … Thank you for your time to answer me …   

Answer:

  Those corrupters of faith who want to lessen the five daily prayers to three are enemies of the Quran who desire to tarnish the image and reputation of true Quranists by claiming they are Quranists. Their destructive views are never part of ijtihad, but part of an evil plan to destroy Islam. No one is to add his/her own views on how to perform acts of worship, which are commands of God to be unquestioningly obeyed with piety and love. It is very important to prayer regularly the five daily prayers whose time never exceed 30 minute together, and one has 23 hours and half for the rest of the day to do anything one likes, so why be lazy and lax about the five daily prayers and to intervene to lessen their number?! Is not enough that one wastes one's lifetime in silly things all day long?!