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

It Has Been Answered Before

Published in March 28, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Concerning the Quranic verse "I - I am God. There is no God but I. So serve Me, and practice the prayer for My remembrance." (20:14), does it refer to the notion that one is only mentioning and remembering God during prayers? Can't I remember God without kneeling and prostrating? … Thank you …     

Answer:            

  You misunderstand this Quranic verse; it refers to the fact that one is not to mention any names of mortals during prayers. Besides, remembrance of God by other means like glorification and uttering certain Quranic verses in praise of the Lord, within most times of the day during which one is awake, is a religious duty required but often forgotten by most people. we refer you to our articles and books tackling that topic, especially the ones about the contradiction between the Sufi practices and acts of worship and the Quranist view about how to worship God.   

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 There Is No Power Except through God

Published in March 28, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK as per Quranism, real Islam, to uttering phrases like (there is no power except through God)? … What is your own opinion?… Thank you …  

Answer:

  Of course it is OK; this is a great expression found in the Quran and used to express believers' lauding and thanking God for His bounties bestowed on them. "When you entered your garden, why did you not say, "As God wills; there is no power except through God"? Although you see me inferior to you in wealth and children." (18:39).

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Prostration on Cushions and Prayer Rugs

Published in March 28, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK if I prostrate on a cushion while performing the five daily prayers, even when I'm not ill? … Thank you …      

Answer:

  We tend to think that this form of excessive 'luxury' is highly improper and insulting; we never like to prostrate on cushions or even on prayer rugs (the ones made especially for that purpose), because this is an act of arrogance and haughtiness, in our opinion, that contradicts one's piety and submissiveness to the Lord God. Let us remember that prostration means putting your head (i.e., the body-part containing the brain) on the ground in piety and submissiveness to the Almighty God. It is not necessary to prostrate on dust; it is enough that to prostrate on the ground on which one treads with one's feet, anywhere like mosques or at home, whether on carpets, rugs, bare floor, tiles, ceramic, etc. But it is wrong in our view to specify a certain portable rug for prayers, because this violates piety and gives a hypocritical appearance by showing off oneself carrying a prayer rug everywhere. God accepts prayers performed with piety and that lead to pious, righteous behavior within the times among the five daily prayers (i.e., all one's lifetime). Lastly, it does not match with piety to prostrate on cushions or prayer rugs to keep one's front of one's head away from the ground.    

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The Arab League

Published in March 29, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … It is often been said that the so-called Arab League unites the so-called Arab countries … What do you think? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  The so-called Arab League is a mere rest-house or a café for Arab rulers to demonstrate their silliness, backwardness, and stupidity as well as their petty disputes; such meetings of the so-called Arab League never succeed in achieving anything except to expose and scandalize Arab rulers. The so-called Arab League is of no importance at all. By the way, in our view, there is no such a thing as 'Arab' countries except those in the Arabian Peninsula.     

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Research and Verification of Manuscripts

Published in March 29, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, …  Since history contains false events as well as true ones, upon what grounds do you personally choose the historical data you quote in your own books and writings? What about Salafists of today that distort writings of ancient fair historians by verifying and scrutinizing their manuscripts to issue editions of their books later on that omits many data on purpose?! … What do you personally think? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Please read our previous articles that tackle the topic of the relativity of written events of history; by describing historical accounts as 'relative', we mean that they might be true or untrue. The mission of a true researcher in the field of history is to verify the truth as much as possible by comparing different accounts of the same event or incident. This is what we have been doing. As for verifying manuscripts of books, this is a separate field of study where different manuscripts of the same book are reviewed and compared to one another after choosing the oldest one as a reference or an original copy, especially when written by the author himself; thus, a verified copy of the book is reached to be printed by the researcher, along with his/her comments and analyses of the book and its author.     

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The Stars

Published in March 29, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Why, in your Quranist view, the stars have been created by God? What is their use, anyway? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 God has created the stars to be as guidance for travellers in land and by the sea; the Creator of everything tells us the following in the Quran: "And it is He Who created the stars for you, that you may be guided by them in the darkness of land and sea. We thus explain the Signs for people who know." (6:97). Let us be reminded that Almighty God has created the universe for the benefit of all of us, human beings, as we infer from the following verse: "And He placed at your service whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth-all is from Him. In that are Signs for people who think." (45:13). God has created this universe to test all human beings: "It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days-and His Throne was upon the waters-in order to test you-which of you is best in conduct…" (11:7). After this test of all souls ends (as each soul returns to Barsakh by death and the body returns to dust), the Day of Resurrection comes; the universe is destroyed, and an eternal one is created and all souls are judged: "On the Day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens, and they will emerge before God, the One, the Irresistible." (14:48). If human beings believe in this truly and faithfully, they would realize their enormous  responsibility to save themselves through good deeds and monotheistic faith in the Omnipotent God, the Creator of the universe. 

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A Question of Inheritance

Published in March 30, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, …How can we divide the inheritance shares of a woman who died, left a house used to owned by her, and is survived by two daughters and a nephew? Would this nephew, the son of the late brother of the late woman, have an inheritance share?   … Thank you …      

Answer:

 Each of the two daughters must have the share of 1/3 of the whole inheritance, and what remains is the share of the nephew.

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God's Promise of Paradise

Published in March 30, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … What is this ''promise'' of God referred to in the following verse: "Our Lord, and give us what You have promised us through Your messengers…" (3:194) … Thank you in advance …   

Answer:

   God's promise here refers to making monotheistic faithful believers who performed enough good deeds to enter Paradise. Of course, this promise of our Lord has been repeated in all divine messages and celestial books of God: "But as for those who believe and do righteous deeds, We will admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will abide forever. The promise of God is true-and who is more truthful in speech than God?" (4:122); "God has promised those who believe and work righteousness: they will have forgiveness and a great reward.As for those who disbelieve and reject Our revelations-these are the inmates of Hell." (5:9-10). 

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Ablution without Water

Published in March 30, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Some products make water of ablution never reach the skin, such as Vaseline, petroleum jelly, paraffin, mineral oils, baby oil, sun lotions, etc. and even many brands of shampoo and moisturizing creams never allow water to penetrate them to reach one's skin and such layers remain for hours. Would this prevent us from performing ablution before prayers? … Would Tayammum be applicable then?… Thank you …   

Answer:

  Of course, one purifies one's body parts, mentioned in 5:6, by ablution with water before prayers, and in case of not finding water, Tayammum is required – not by dust or sand as Sunnites maintain, but with anything clean like handkerchiefs or their likes. Such oils and products can be used for Tayammum in case there is no water nearby. We propose to you that after you take a bath or a shower, you do not need to perform ablution before applying such products on your skin. Indeed, taking a bath or a shower can replace performing ablution. We agree with the view that one cannot perform ablution after applying such products, as water is prevented from reaching the skin.    

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High Heels

Published in April 2, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK for women to wear high heels? …Thank you …      

Answer:

Yes.

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It Is Wrong

Published in April 2, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK if I, as a Quranist, would perform congregational prayers with Sunnites/Muhammadans led by Sunnite/Muhammadan imam in harmful mosques as you call it?  … … Thank you …         

Answer:

   It is very wrong and unacceptable for Quranists to pray in such mosques; pray alone at home instead.

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Fulfilling Contracts

Published in April 2, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I agreed with a worker to do a certain job in return for a certain sum, but later on, I found another worker who would take less money; is it OK to reject the first worker and make my deal with the second? … Thank you …

Answer:

     If one is committed by a signed contract, with witnesses or not, on must fulfill one's commitment or contract as per the Quranic verse 5:1. But if the initial agreement was verbal/oral without witnesses, one can choose to change one's mind. 

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The Story of Joseph

Published in April 3, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … As per 12:3, is the story of Joseph the best one of all Quranic stories? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  You mistake the meaning of the Quranic verse 12:3; it refers to all Quranic stories not just the one in the Quranic Chapter 12. All the Quranic stories are the best and most accurate history ever. The only difference in the story of Joseph is that it comes with the chronological order in one Quranic Chapter, like a scenario of drama with a great impressive humanistic story. We refer you to our previous writings contemplating and analyzing the story of Joseph.                      

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Fury and Sin

Published in April 3, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is one's hot temper and getting angry easily deemed a sin? If so, how can one repent and atone for it? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 God says the following in the Quran about the descriptions of the pious believers: "And those who avoid major sins and indecencies; and if they become angry, they forgive." (42:37). Hence, really righteous believers must gain self-control and self-restraint, and they are not controlled by anger or ire; rather, they respond to offenses by being gentle and forgiving. As for those who get mad easily, their fury might drive them to commit crimes, and the enormity of such sin differs as per the crime committed. One of such crimes is murder, and another crime is to verbally abuse someone by slandering his/her mother, and such slander is penalized in Islam. In sum, getting furious might make a person fall into the trap of sin which entails a penalty or an atonement, and sometimes, an angry person does not commit any crime or sin. Real believers must ask God's pardon and forgiveness if their anger led them to sin especially by harming someone.      

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Repentance and Pardon

Published in April 3, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I feel there is a contradiction between 4:48 and 4:18 … What do you think? …Thank you …     

Answer:

   Please read more within our archive of writings; you are a new Quranist, we are sure, to ask such a weird question. God says in the Quran: "God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills..." (4:48); "But repentance is not available for those who commit evils, until when death approaches one of them, he says, "Now I repent," nor for those who die as disbelievers. These-We have prepared for them a painful torment." (4:18). We have repeated many times in our ponderings of the Quran that God's forgiveness and pardon are attainted only on the Last Day for those who worked hard to deserve them, as for repentance, it must be done during one's lifetime, as soon as may be, before one's death, so that one would have sufficient time to perform many good deeds to atone for past sins.          

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Tombs

Published in April 4, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Tombs are mentioned in the Quran as people will be resurrected from it on the Last Day … But you have said that the bodies of resurrected people will be formed of their deeds, how? Please explain this further to me … Thank you  …  

Answer:

  One's deeds will certainly form the eternal body and one's soul will wear on the Last Day when it comes again from Barsakh upon resurrection; the earthly body will return to dust (from which it is created) and remain as such, it would not come back. We refer you to or lengthy series of articles titled "Each Human Soul Has Two Bodies", which is an unfinished book we hope to finish. Wait for our forthcoming article (God willing) about tombs; we prove how the bodies have tombs on earth to return to dust, and the Barsakh is the tomb of souls.

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Ibn Battuta

Published in April 4, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … What is your opinion of the book about the journeys of the Middle-Ages traveller Ibn Battuta? … Thank you …

Answer:

  Our book published in 1984, in Cairo, on researching religious history books contain one chapter about books of journeys as an important source of history, and we tackle the book of the travels of Ibn Battuta; please wait for the 1984 book of ours that is yet to be published on our website. We discern how the book of Ibn Battuta is of vital importance to shed more light on the period in which  he lived. 

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Two Witnesses

Published in April 4, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it OK in trade deals not to use witnesses? Is this legal in Islam as long as all parties consent and agree not to use witnesses and not to write contracts? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  It is OK and acceptable, even without contracts and witnesses; yet, it is better to write contracts signed with witnesses (at least two) to preserve rights of people by documentation to oblige all parties to adhere to the deal made. God says in the Quran: "O you who believe! When you incur debt among yourselves for a certain period of time, write it down. And have a scribe write in your presence, in all fairness. And let no scribe refuse to write, as God has taught him. So let him write, and let the debtor dictate. And let him fear God, his Lord, and diminish nothing from it. But if the debtor is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable to dictate, then let his guardian dictate with honesty. And call to witness two men from among you. If two men are not available, then one man and two women whose testimony is acceptable to all-if one of them fails to remember, the other would remind her. Witnesses must not refuse when called upon. And do not think it too trivial to write down, whether small or large, including the time of repayment. That is more equitable with God, and stronger as evidence, and more likely to prevent doubt-except in the case of a spot transaction between you-then there is no blame on you if you do not write it down. And let there be witnesses whenever you conclude a contract, and let no harm be done to either scribe or witness. If you do that, it is corruption on your part. And fear God. God teaches you. God is aware of everything." (2:282).     

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Agricultural Firm

Published in December 6, 2010

Question: … Dear Sir, … I feel guilty and oppressed; since I got my university degree in agriculture, I've worked in an agricultural firm for in return for laughable salary, and I'm forced to work overtime and perform arduous tasks, and toil like a poor peasant though I'm an agricultural engineer, without having the right to protest or else, they would fire me … My pangs of conscience increased when I saw corruption being committed and I cannot stop it … What is the solution? I'm a good reader of your writings. What is the stance of Islam toward that? What shall I do? Shall I rebel or not? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Sadly, oppressed peasants is a phenomenon in all eras of Egypt for centuries; corruption dominates until now in all fields, and agriculture is no exception. Rich feudal landlords typically oppressed peasants and farmers, who are not protected against ailment or anything that might befall them, and without contracts, in return for measly stipends; they toil on the soil all their lives and then get buried under it upon their death. Economy and corruption worsened when the tyrannical parasitical capitalism was introduced by Sadat in Egypt in 1970s, amidst unjust laws issued at the time; Sadat was a traitor who betrayed Egypt. Indeed, most Muhammadans in Egypt and elsewhere do not care about Islam and its Quranic teachings; Sunnite teachings preserve their unjust interests quite enough! They never heed the Quran because they are afraid of its highest values of all: justice. We maintain that any reform must begin within the legislative and judicial authorities in Egypt. As for your case, you have to go on in your job if you could not find any and if you need money badly for your family; and may God help you to get a better position one day and help Egypt to become better in the future.    

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Doubt Will be Followed by Certainty

Published in October 16, 2012

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … I' a new 23-year-old Quranist and I love your writings… Yet, I'm depressed; doubts never leave my heart and mind …I'm obsessed with the questions: what and where is the truth? … What is real Islam or the real way to God?! Does God exist? I never liked books of Arab and West philosophy nor theology of the so-called three Abrahamic religions that I kept reading for five years … Though I like your ideas, but what if you are in the wrong? I do not want to go to Hell! But I'm sure the Sunnites, Shiites, and Sufis are polytheists who will burn in Hell, and I've rejected their religions… I'm convinced that hadiths are lies and falsehoods …But how can I verify that Quranism is the Truth and that their views are OK?! … Besides, how shall I be certain that the Quran is written accurately without distortion in its words?! The devilish Arabs have distorted everything in your opinion except for the Quran; why are you so sure?! Sometimes I feel I'm on the verge of atheism, some other times I believe in God as per the Quran and that I can never deny God … How can I make sure that Quranists are the guided ones?! I fear God and I fear Hell; please tell me what I shall do to feel 100% certain of Quranism  … Thank you …   

Answer:

  Doubt is the very first step to gain knowledge if it is followed by the quest for the truth; one can resort to specialists (and their books) in a certain field to get to know the facts/data that need to be known. A searcher of truth must be armed with certain tools of research, as we have said repeatedly before. We, for instance, were surprised as Azharite sheikhs refused our PhD thesis at first though it is based on Quranic facts as criteria to refute Sufism; at times, we were bewildered and wondered if they were right and I was wrong or the other way around. Doubts led me temporarily to think that all Azharite people are in the right and we are in the wrong, but we discovered that they were indeed polytheists in the wrong and we are in the right. Of course, we have, like many others, passed through the stage of doubt concerning if the Quran is man-made or not God's Word indeed; we tried to find any mistakes or contradictions in it, using research tools as we have done in books of the Muhammadans, but we have found none. We as a researcher are more informed than Muhammad who lived in the 7^th century A.D., and we can prove if he authored the Quran or not, as human accumulated knowledge enables us to verify many things. After one year of research in the 1970s, we made sure 100% that the Quran is never man-made in the 7^th century or any other centuries, because it contains no contradictions at all, and no one could ever have distorted its words, as we have read manuscripts of it written in the Mameluke Era, found now in the Cairo Central Library. The Quran is never distorted in the way it is written. Besides, other Quranists who write on digital miracles of the Quran ascertain the fact that its way of unique way of writing is preserved in all eras. In contrast, all fiqh writings and hadiths are filled with countless errors, discrepancies, and contradictions. The Muhammadans in all eras could not have possibly distorted writing if the Quran; they have just misinterpreted it deliberately to suit their evil purposes and political ends, then they claimed that fiqh and hadiths supplant and replace Quranic verses. Please our son, do not be in doubt; read our archive over and over again, and the devilish whispers of uncertainties will vanish as you understand more about the Quran and Quranism. God bless you.