Fatwas: Part Forty-Five

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

Why Arabs in Particular

Published in July 8, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … God says in the Quran: "He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned." (21:23); "...God knows best where to place His message..." (6:124). Yet I'd like to know your own thoughts about God's choice to make the seal of all prophets an Arab man and to make the last divine, celestial message to all humanity in Arabic; why not in any language and to any other man from the descendants of Abraham and Isaac instead of Ishmael? I'm sure your long decades of Quranist studies and history studies will enable you to give me some satisfying answer to my question within your deep knowledge and wisdom … Thank you …     

Answer:            

 Thank you, our dear brother, for your praise of our person; may God bless you. We say briefly here that we have no ready answers to all possible questions; we are still learning from the Quran and there are many aspects in it that are still unknown to us. Views expressed by us in our fatwas, books, and articles are our own; they are liable to be changed, discussed, corrected, refuted, elaborated, etc. We implore our Almighty Lord God to make us give a true answer to your queries. As far as we know, a last prophet had to be chosen; we cannot question why the last one was an Arab who lived in Arabia and was a descendant of Ishmael and Abraham. But we can answer the second question; the Quran was revealed in Arabic because it is the tongue of Muhammad and Arabs in the 7^th century A.D. God says in the Quran: "We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand." (12:2); "We made it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand." (43:3). Sadly, Arabs never heeded the Quran; they rejected and disbelieved in it in Mecca, and then raised it as a banner to unify Arabs in Arabia to form military troops to establish an Arab empire and to justify their heinous crimes called Arab conquests. They have abandoned the Quran for centuries until now and Muhammad will disown them on the Last Day: "And the messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have abandoned this Quran."" (25:30). Arabs are located now in the middle of the world map; each nation/people had their own prophets, as per this verse: "...There is no community but a warner has passed through it." (35:24). We infer from the Quran that all earthly, man-made religions are based on distortions of past celestial messages. The modern world now is getting nearer to Islamic/Quranic values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and human dignity, while Arabs who have the Quran in Arabic are still rejecting it and live within tyranny and myths.     

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Gog and Magog, Again!

Published in July 7, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Are the people ofGog and Magog, mentioned in the Quran, among believers or non-believers? … Thank you  …  

Answer:

 We refer you to our article on that topic; we briefly say here that they are described in the Quran as corrupters on Earth while they were on its surface: "...the Gog and Magog people are spreading corruption on Earth..." (18:94). They are now, as per the Quran, inside and under the crust of the Earth; they will get our and roam the Earth shortly before the Hour of the Last Day. We do not know anything more about them; we do not believe Sunnite myths/hadiths about them which are mythological and unbelievable, of course. 

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Rights of Orphans

Published in July 7, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … When an orphans are rich inheritors of their late rich parents, do they still need car from us? Should I better donate money for the weak and poor youths who cannot get married or find jobs instead of caring for rich orphans? … Thank you  …

Answer:

 What is required is to treat orphans kindly, mercifully, and charitably; this includes donating money for their sake, but if they orphans are rich inheritors, they need gentle treatment, with mercy and kindness; they still need emotional care; or rather tender loving care.

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As Wide As the Heavens and the Earth

Published in July 7, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … What does the Quranic phrase "as wide as the heavens and the earth" mean? Does this imply we are now in Paradise or that the Earth will be still there after the Last Day? What do you think? … Thank you …     

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "And race towards forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous." (3:133); "Race towards forgiveness from your Lord; and a Garden as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers. That is the grace of God; He bestows it on whomever He wills. God is the Possessor of Immense Grace." (57:21). The idea of racing here in 3:133 means that God urges us to repent as soon as we can and implore Him for forgiveness and pardon; the sooner we do this in our lifetimes the better. In 57:21, we are urged by our Lord God to compete and vie for performance of good deeds to obtain God's mercy and forgiveness: i.e., to enter into Paradise in the Hereafter. The simile of likening the vastness of Paradise like the heavens and the Earth is meant to make us imagine easily how vast the Paradise will be. Of course, the known universe along with planet Earth will be destroyed on the Last Day; Paradise and Hell have not been created yet; they will exist on the Last Day along with new, eternal Earth and heavens, unlike our transient universe: "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).  

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Lewd, Unfaithful Husband

Published in May 28, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … Peace and greetings to you; I'm in big trouble and need your immediate advice; I'm a 26-year-old wife, who lives in Cairo, Egypt, with one daughter and I'm pregnant now. I've been married for three years now. My husband, who works in the tourism field, is my problem; we quarrel so often because he drinks wine and smokes hash; he never prays or in any way religious. More often than not, I demanded from him to stop excessive drinking and addiction, or else I'd file for divorce or repudiation in court, but he'd weep and ask for my forgiveness and would vow to repent because he loves me very much and cannot do without me; he lied to me in every single time he made that promise! My only daughter once took a piece of hash from the floor in our house and was about to put it in her mouth. If it had not been for my being attentive to her! I hate my husband now since I discovered that he had sex with foreign women!  My husband forgot that he gave me the password for his Facebook account; I saw videos of him with some foreign women, drinking wine! I saw his chat history to discover that he brags of having sex with many of these women! I got depressed and I could no longer bear it! even my feet got paralyzed temporarily out of sorrow and shock! I left the house along with my daughter to stay at my parents' house. His parents tried to convince me to return home, but I screamed at them to get out of my sight as they failed to bring up their son to be an upright, religious person; I cannot forgive him now and I intend to get divorced! He told me he has the right to "know" as many women as possible and to drink wine and smoke hash as much as he pleases and I have no right to complain! He does not want to admit to his guilt and repent! Any advice? Am I right to file for a divorce? Or shall I bear patiently with him for the sake of my daughter and my unborn fetus inside my womb?! What do you think?… Thank you for your time to read my message and to answer it …        

Answer:

  Of course, you have been harmed enough to have the right to divorce or repudiate your husband; but let us advice you, my daughter to do the following first: get a pen and a piece of paper and write down the pros and cons of keeping your marriage and those of getting a divorce. Think of your financial status as well as psychological and social conditions in both cases (if you choose divorce or to keep your husband) and reflect deeply on this list. Eventually, you will be able to choose between trying to reform your husband, for the sake of your daughter and unborn baby, or to leave him for good. May God bless and protect you.

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Good Things and Provisions

Published in January 20, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … What is the meaning of the repeated Quranic phrase "good things and provisions"? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "O you who believe! Eat of the good things and provisions We have provided for you, and give thanks to God, if it is Him that you serve." (2:173). This means that this phrase refers to legal food items, in contrast to prohibited food items: "Eat of the lawful and good things God has provided for you, and be thankful for God's blessings, if it is Him that you serve. He has forbidden you carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and anything consecrated to other than God..." (16:114-115). God prohibits people to forbid and prohibit allowed food items, which are good things and provisions from God to the humankind: "And do not say of falsehood asserted by your tongues, "This is lawful, and this is unlawful," in order to invent lies and attribute them to God. Those who invent lies and attribute them to God will not succeed. A brief enjoyment-then they will have a painful punishment." (16:116-117); "Say, "Have you considered the good things and provisions God has sent down for you, some of which you made unlawful, and some lawful?" Say, "Did God give you permission, or do you fabricate lies and attribute them to God?" What will they think-those who fabricate lies and attribute them to God-on the Day of Resurrection? God is bountiful towards the people, but most of them do not give thanks." (10:59-60). 

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Piety and Acts of Worship

Published in July 9, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, … Allow me to contradict you about something; if acts of worship has but one aim which is to attain piety, one can do without them (i.e., never to pray, fast, etc.) if one is pious enough by dealing peacefully, fairly, and justly with people; why should I go on fasting and praying since I attained piety that way?! … Thank you …         

Answer:

  You are extremely mistaken; we remind you that there is another aim of acts of worship: to obey Almighty God's commands in the Quran and show devotion, submission, and reverence to Him; they are part of good deeds and obedience to make us earn the right to enter into Paradise in the Hereafter. Iblis (or Satan) has been expelled and cursed because of disobeying God and arrogantly arguing against God's commands. Human beings are being tested within their lifetime: would they (dis)obey God? God ordained certain acts of worship; without them, no piety is ever going to be obtained at all, as they are the means to attain it. Some people perform them without fearing God and they lose piety; some other people never perform them and feign being pious, though they defy God and disobey His commands by not praying, fasting, etc. Both types of people follow footsteps of Satan. From the Quranic Chapter 23, we know the descriptions of real pious believers; among their qualities is that they perform prayers. Thus, they pass the test of life ordained by God. If a professor in a university commanded that you study and apply a certain book to pass the test/exam, you cannot study and follow another book, lest you fail the test/exam, right. Likewise, God gave us the Quran to follow as His Path to Paradise; among its commands is to fast, pray, etc. This simple example will make you understand, we hope, what we mean; you are to apply the Quran in your life to earn the right to enter into Paradise in the Hereafter. You cannot question God's decrees and orders in the Quran.      

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Devotion

Published in March 17, 2014

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am infinitely indebted to you for making me know real Islam after I reached the age of 60; I admire your views very much  … What is the meaning of the term (devotion) (and its derivations) in the Quranic text? I have other questions: ……………  … Thank you …   

Answer:

  Devotion means piety and the fear of our Lord God during acts of worship: "Guard your prayers...and stand before God in devotion." (2:238); "Is he who worships devoutly during the watches of the night, prostrating himself and standing up, mindful of the Hereafter, and placing his hope in the mercy of his Lord? Say, "Are those who know and those who do not know equal?" Only those possessed of reason will remember." (39:9). And devotion is a quality that is part of belief, piety, and real pious believers as per the Quranic Truth to which they adhere: "The patient, and the truthful, and the devoted, and the charitable, and the seekers of forgiveness at dawn." (3:17); "Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men and believing women, devoted men and devoted women, truthful men and truthful women, patient men and patient women, humble men and humble women, charitable men and charitable women, fasting men and fasting women, men who guard their chastity and women who guard, men who remember God frequently and women who remember-God has prepared for them a pardon, and an immense reward." (33:35). God thus describes some of real believers as devoted: "Abraham was an exemplary leader, devoted to God, a monotheist, and was not of the polytheists." (16:120); "And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her womb, and so We breathed into her of Our Spirit; and she believed in the truth of her Lord's Words and His Books, and was one of the devout." (66:12). Devotion is something one chooses on his/her accord, within the willingness to obey, please, and gratify our Lord God. Some souls of other people choose disobedience and misguidance; yet, all bodies of human beings are still controlled by our Dominant Lord God, just like all celestial bodies and inanimate items in this universe and on Earth. Thus, all creatures (including human bodies) are unavoidably submissive to God, but human souls choose either to obey or to disobey: "...Be He glorified. Rather, His is everything in the heavens and the earth; all are obedient to Him." (2:116); "To Him belongs everyone in the heavens and the earth. All are submissive to Him." (30:26); "Do they desire other than the religion of God, when to Him has submitted everything in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will be returned?" (3:83). N.B.: Other questions you have posed have been answered in previous fatwas and articles; we do not answer repeated questions and you have to look for answers within our archive of writings.  

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Guidance in the Quranic Text

Published in August 10, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … Reading many verses that contain the term ''guidance'' and ''guided'' and other derivations, after I have embraced Quranism, I cannot help but wonder if God chooses to guide certain persons or not? Is it only linked to human will of those who are guidance seekers? I cannot see this in verses like 10:35, 6:84, and 93:7, as I deduce that God guides certain people and not others … What do you think? …Thank you …   

Answer:

 Thank you for your good question; we will write a lengthy article about this issue, but we briefly assert the following to you. God has revealed the Quran, His Word to humanity till the end of days, to guide people: "We thus inspired you spiritually, by Our command. You did not know what the Scripture is, nor what faith is, but We made it a light, with which We guide whomever We will of Our servants. You surely guide to a straight path." (42:52). Thus, the Quran is the source of guidance, God is the Guide, and the guided ones are those who seek guidance in God's Word. Thus, mortals do NOT guide one another, even prophets could not guide those who believed with them; those guided ones by God's Scriptures chose guidance on their own accord. God has said to Muhammad the following: "You cannot guide whom you love, but God guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are guided." (28:56). This means simply that God guides those who are willing to be guided by His Word and strive to ponder upon His Scripture/Message. When Moses said to Pharaoh: "And I will guide you to your Lord, and you will turn reverent." (79:19), he means to show the path of God's guidance to him; to call him to be guided by it if he would choose guidance. Thus, idols/deities of polytheists never offer guidance: "Say, "Can any of your partners guide to the Truth?" Say, "God guides to the Truth. Is He who guides to the truth more worthy of being followed, or he who does not guide, unless he himself is guided? What is the matter with you? How do you judge?"" (10:35). God guides those who chose guidance willingly: "And We gave him Isaac and Jacob-each of them We guided. And We guided Noah previously; and from his descendants David, and Solomon, and Job, and Joseph, and Moses, and Aaron. Thus We reward the righteous." (6:84), and guided Muhammad when he sought guidance as well: "And found you wandering, and guided you?" (93:7). In all cases, guidance is linked ONLY to God's scriptures. Thus, for real Muslims, the only guidance is found exclusively in the Quran.

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Controversy of Breastfeeding Adults!

Published in October 23, 2007

Question: …  Dear Sir, … It was scandalous that in the 1990s, in Cairo, an Azharite clergymen issued a fatwa that a woman may breastfeed a man to make him as if he were her own son so that she can sit with him alone; sheikhs of falsehoods in Al-Azhar had to defend their lies so as to defend their supreme deity Al-Bokhary, after the whole world laughed at their ignorance and myths? What do you think? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 We have published an article on that topic on 9^th of May, 1994, to comment on such corrupt fatwa; we quote it partially here. It was previously published in Al-Ahrar newspaper under the title of our weekly column at the time, in page 6, (The Narrator Said that...)

  (... In a Salafist magazine, a query from a reader asked about the veracity and authenticity of certain hadiths – some of them are very silly and laughter-inducing hadiths, such as the one about those who refuse to reconcile likened to stubborn mules and the one about missing verses from the Quran itself! The supposedly missing ones are part of lies fabricated by Al-Bokhary to undermine Islam and its Only Book, and he writes that the missing ones were about breastfeeding adults to allow them to sit with women (as if their foster mothers!) behind closed doors! ... Is it modest that a woman shows her breast to be suckled by a male adult as if he were a baby! Such fake stories are ascribed falsely to Muhammad by Al-Bokhary to undermine and insult him ... Al-Bokhary aims in his book to cast doubt on the Quran ... We ourselves believe only in the Quran as the only source of Islam; we disbelieve in all hadiths altogether without exceptions; there can never be a medial position or in-between course regarding that issue ... Part of our belief is that God preserves the Quran Himself against any distortions: "Surely We revealed the Message, and We will surely preserve it." (15:9) ... The ongoing debate over the issue of breastfeeding male adults never heeded that such hadiths undermine and cast doubt on the Quranic text itself; each one of the clergymen care only to defend the assumed infallibility of Al-Bokhary book! No one cared to clear Muhammad's name from such lies and falsehoods called hadiths ... We forgive clergymen of Al-Azhar for their verbal abuse of us but we never forgive or remain silent regarding their undermining Islam by defending al-Bokhary book ... "Who does greater wrong than he who fabricates lies about God? These will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are they who lied about their Lord." Indeed, the curse of God is upon the wrongdoers. Those who hinder others from the path of God, and seek to make it crooked; and regarding the Hereafter, they are in denial." (11:18-19) ...)

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My Wife's Gold

Published in May 26, 2011

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I'm a new Quranist … After working in a Gulf country and suffering so much to get money, I have saved large sums to get married and pay the dowry etc. and I offered my wife gold ornaments (rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, etc.) that worth LE 20.000 as a gift of marriage, as typically done in rural villages in Egypt as you know … You know as well that after marriage, a husband may sell such gold to settle any debts and then to repay his wife once more later on … My wife adamantly refuses to give me the gold, and when I sold my car, it only covered less than half of my debts … My wife's relatives took her side … I need your advice, Sir, as I deserted my wife's bed in anger as I feel hurt that she refuses to help me to settle my debts; is such gold part of dowry in Islam?! Am I wrong to demand it from her and to repay her later? … Thank you …         

Answer:

  As far as Quranism is concerned, you have no right whatsoever to force your wife to sell her gold for any reason; this is part of her dowry and part of the marriage contract which is based on mutual consent: "...If you wish to enjoy them, then give them their dowry-a legal obligation. You commit no error by agreeing to any change to the dowry..." (4:24). Thus, since you agreed to pay a certain dowry, including gifts, you cannot regain them from your wife. A wife may cede some of all of her dowry ONLY willingly and on her own accord, after her marriage; you cannot force her to do so after consummation of the marriage: "Give women their dowries graciously. But if they willingly forego some of it, then consume it with enjoyment and pleasure." (4:4); "O you who believe! It is not permitted for you to inherit women against their will. And do not coerce them in order to take away some of what you had given them...And how can you take it back, when you have been intimate with one another, and they have received from you a solid commitment?" (4:19-21). If you are really a Quranist, you need to reform yourself; you have no right to feel furious for some rural traditions; stop blaming your wife for wasting your savings; no one forced you to choose her as your bride. You seem to hate your in-laws and desire to accuse them of anything; your wife is guiltless and you must reconcile with her and she has the right to protect her financial dues. It is very wrong of you to desert her bed; she did not disobey you within something related to your rights; her gold his hers and you do not have the right to claim it for yourself. "...But if they obey you, seek no way against them. God is Sublime, Great." (4:34). Be a gentleman and apologize for her and for your in-laws; turn a new leaf with them based on mutual respect and love.     

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Soaring Prices and Low Wages

Published in November 25, 2009

Question: … Dear Sir, … He was a very poor man living in his rural village, earning hardly what keeps him alive, and after working so hard in a gulf country to make good savings, he returned to Egypt once more to find soaring prices eating up all his savings; the problem is not one's earnings but how to live with one's income; how could prices and incomes be linked within justice?! … What do you think? …Thank you …

Answer:

  Our answer to you is only within the scope of wishful thinking; this is the only thing we really offer regarding such question. Within Egyptian history, when the flood of the River Nile was low, merchants of the Middle Ages who monopolized goods and crops used to hide most of them to make prices soar, but some sultans used to punish those merchants by offering goods at cheaper prices for people, and prices inevitably would decrease as a result. The prices of goods must be linked to justice; justice is the supreme one of the higher Quranic values. Pious merchants who fear God must achieve reasonable profit margin and not to make use of certain conditions to be filthily rich within dishonest means in times of crises. The State must control prices for the sake of the poor consumers. Sadly, most tycoons control markets and 1% of people in a given society are the affluent ones who own everything and deal unjustly with the 99% of citizens to gain more money. The impious ones among the affluent classes disregard the Hereafter and have no mercy or compassion for the poorer classes. In history, the masses realized that all taxes paid by merchants meant soaring prices, and governors used to appoint inspectors to check prices and weighing measures etc. to care for the poorer classes and to punish dishonest merchants. This way, they attempted to apply the Quranic command of justice as per 57:25 and 7:199. Justice entails compassion and conscience in the fear of our Lord God; disbelievers in the Hereafter make injustices dominate and this leads to destructive revolts of people; God warns against this in this verse: "And beware of discord which does not afflict the wrongdoers among you exclusively; and know that God is severe in retribution." (8:25). Sadly, blood-sucking capitalists in Arab countries, esp. in Egypt, are disbelievers who abuse the poor, under the protection of the biggest thieves (i.e., Arab tyrannical rulers), and social justice is a mere slogan never put to practice. The poor and the hungry have the right to use violence and iron as per 57:25 to revolt against such injustices and soaring prices.            

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Zakat Sharia in the Quran

Published in January 20, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … Could you briefly tell us all about Zakat based on the Quran exclusively? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  These paragraphs about Zakat are part of our book on (Naskh):

(... Zakat literally means in Arabic and in the Quranic tongue to recommend oneself with good deeds to purify one's soul to earn the right to enter into Paradise ... Zakat in the terms of alms/charity money has certain categories of people who deserve to have such money as per 2:215 and 9:60 ... Pious ones must pay zakat alms to seek to please and gratify God by financially helping the needy; see 63:10, 9:34, 70:24-25, and 51:19 ... Unlike the Sunnites who assume wrongly that zakat money is measured as 2.5% of one's wealth paid annually, God does NOT tell us about a certain percentage at all; one is to pay as much as one can to gain favor of God, without excessiveness or being stingy; see 25:67 and 17:29 ... All verses bout donating money complement and explain one another; they do NOT replace or omit one another as Sunnites claim ... Real pious ones seek to attain more piety within all acts of worship, including zakat, as part of descriptions of real believers: "Those who work for charity." (23:4); "He who gives his money to become pure." (92:18), and the same meaning is repeated in 70:22-34 ... The Sunnites have different views: they specify that 2.5% annually of one's liquid money to be paid; yet, they impose no zakat at all on jewels, metals, trade, houses, farms, assets, etc. and this is very wrong ... The Quran tells us to pay with love and in goodness for God's sake from our assets; e.g., in one owns a farm (see 6:141) and all trade profits (see 2:3, 8:3, 22:35, 32:6, 28:54, and 42:38) ... The Quran describes the good ones as follows: "Those who spend their wealth by night and day, privately and publicly, will receive their reward from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve." (2:274). God does NOT specify certain percentage for Zakat; this is left to our estimation regarding how we like to please God and obtain His mercy; see 3:133-134, 2:145, 57:11, and 73:20 ...).

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Cheating in Trade

Published in December 14, 2009

Question: …  Dear Sir, … What do you think about cheat and deceit that dominates Egypt, esp. in trade, production, etc. among citizens and government officials who endorse corruption: we consume now adulterated food, water, products, medicine, houses, etc. What are we to do to avoid such ruin?! … Thank you …   

Answer:

  Cheating and deceit were simple in the past as life was primitive and simple in its turn; sadly, now in the 21^st century of complicated lifestyle, ways of cheating and adulteration have become so complicated and more serious; they can cause the death of hundreds of people annually. Blood-sucking worshippers of Mammon (i.e., money) do not believe in God nor in the Hereafter; they seek to earn $ millions by all dishonest means. The problem extends to the climate of corruption dominating everyday life in Egypt; the State officials rarely punish those who violate the laws by cheating others and selling to them adulterated products; this is because of bribery given to most governmental officials to overlook many mistakes. Even those who are prosecuted are released from prison or courts by making use of law loopholes. This is a matter of life and death. Tyranny is the cause behind such corruption and adulteration. Tyrants confiscate wealth, power, and money, leaving other affluent ones to steal, swindle, and rob, while millions of citizens are the real victims who live in hell. We feel sorry for our beloved Egypt.         

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Corporeal Punishment in Public

Published in February 4, 2010

Question: … Dear Sir, … Before returning to Egypt months ago, I have spent the five worst years of my life in the KSA to work there; my worst memories are having been forced to attend flogging and beheadings in public; this still causes me to have nightmares! Where is the mercy of real Islam? Are flogging and beheading people in public is part of Islam or Sunnite Wahabism?  … Thank you …      

Answer:

  Within Islam (Quranism), there is no penalty for rejecting Islam for atheism, sorcery, wine-drinking, adultery, or stopping performance of prayers, and there is no stoning to death in Islam at all. The only reason in Islam to put someone to death is when one commits a murder. Corporeal punishments for adultery/fornication (see 24:2) and theft (see 5:38) are mentioned in the Quran are for warning and deterrence NOT for vengeance, and they are not applied in case of repentance (see and 24:5 and 5:39). Deterrence includes sometimes to exact punishment in public like flogging fornicators as per 24:2. Repentant ones are not to be flogged; those who are to be punished are those males and females who insist on fornication after being pardoned several times and their repentance is fake, since they are caught red-handed many times. Terrorists who terrorize and massacre people must be put to death as retribution for their crimes as per Islam, esp. that they ascribe their heinous crimes falsely to its name and not toothier Wahabi religion of Satan. Those terrorists deserve the penalties in 5:33 but they are spared in case of repentance as per 5:34. The criminal KSA apply flogging and killing on countless things unrelated to Islam but related to Wahabi ideology of Satan. This is why the KSA the spread Wahabism is responsible for massacring thousands of innocent people annually inside and outside the KSA, as it sponsors terrorism and Wahabism worldwide.     

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Shaltout and Usury

Published in May 6, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it true that the late head of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Shaltout, allowed usury in some cases? Are you influenced by his view as you adopt the view that banks interests are OK? … Thank you  …  

Answer:

 We have written an article in 1990 in Al-Akhbar newspaper regarding allowing banks interests as this is NOT against Islam, asserting that the forbidden usury is to lend money at complicated interests rates for the needy; see this article (in English) titled (The Usury Battle) on this link on our website:

 http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=6251  

 At the time we never read writings of sheikh Shaltout (who lived in the 1960s) at all. Later on, we read them and we deem him as the last Azharite scholar who tried to follow the footsteps of the reformist head of Al-Azhar Muhammad Abdou who died in 1905.  Some enlightened thinkers in Egypt defended our stance and article against those Azharite clergy that verbally abused us. Let us summarize the view of Shaltout here: savings in banks are not loans; they are being invested in trade so that profits ate gained by both banks and clients; hence, usury is NOT practiced here and no one is harmed financially; on the contrary, the State and individuals are benefited from this. Shaltout quoted hadiths and Quranic verses that support his view; we, on the other hand, quote the Quranic verses only, and we have proven that forbidden usury is when one individual makes use of the needy ones to lend them money at interest as he/she must lend them charitably and mercifully (without interests at all).     

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Prohibition of Wine Drinking

Published in January 14, 2007

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I never drink or intend to drink wine, but I am not convinced that they are forbidden in the Quran; why is it forbidden? What is the reason behind this, anyway, if wine is consumed in moderation?! … Thank you for your time to answer me …

Answer:

 Wine is prohibited in 2:219, and God asserts here that its consumption leads to committing sins and evil deeds that violate God's laws. God commands us to avoid wine in 5:90 and we are not to come near it even without consuming it. We cannot question God's commands and search for a reason or a logic behind them; they are tests to see if we obey or not. Consuming other food items is prohibited like flesh of pigs, but we can sell, own, rear, buy, and touch pigs as no Quranic command is there to make us avoid these creatures, right? Wine is mentioned as abomination of Satan's doing that must be avoided; believers are not to come near it, let alone drink it.   

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Sudan and Egypt!

Published in March 15, 2010

Question: …  Dear Sir, … As a Sudanese Quranist, I regret to say that you are in the wrong as far as political information is concerned about Sudan; you have mentioned that when one Khedive of Egypt, i.e., Muhammad Ali Pacha, conquered Sudan, there was no State there. This is not true: Sudan's history is known for its kingdoms that lived in welfare and in sometimes civil wars, and they had their own modest civilization and culture based on Sufi religion … Thank you …     

Answer:

  You mistook our intended meaning our dear friend; we meant that Sudan never knew a stable, permanent, centralized State and government in the manner that Egypt enjoyed for millennia (50 centuries). We meant a modern state with armies, defined borders, centralized government, etc. that were stable even when a country is occupied by foreign powers. Of course, many kingdoms were established in Sudan and in India, Persia, China, etc. and then collapsed. There are mobile, temporary states that emerged suddenly and might disappear any time; e.g., the KSA and Israel, and the one that emerged and disappeared is the USSR. Some empires/kingdoms were formed and collapsed like those of the Mongols, the Qarmatians, and the Zanj. Thank you.    

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Khedive Ismail and Sudan

Published in September 1, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I admire your love for your original country, Egypt, but I dislike your positive description of Khedive Ismail when he invaded Sudan as if this was something good! Conquests and invasions are never acceptable for any reason as per Quranism, right? …  Thank you …    

Answer:

 Our dear daughter, we did not intend in this article to laud or heap praise on this or that Khedive or to recommend reconquering Sudan by Egypt at all; we intended to indicate the historical fact that Sudan was modernized only when Khedive Ismail modernized after his father and conqueror of Sudan, Muhammad Ali Pacha, built its capital Khartoum, and Ismail commissioned and funded expeditions to discover areas of the Nile River in South and central Sudan, and he was the first one to do this worldwide. This was not an ordinary colonialism in the strict sense of the term; this Khedive served Sudan with many projects and helped to increase geographical information about Sudan and Africa; Sudan and Egypt remained one country for over one century, and their citizens were on equal footing to one another without discrimination. The separation of Sudan and Egypt harmed both countries; even Sudan is divided more now; Europe hated the expansionist ambitions of Muhammad Ali Pacha and managed to defeat him and destroy all his projects. The EU imitates what M. Ali Pacha intended; i.e., to unify many countries in one entity without colonialism. This is a personal view, not absolute fact. Thank you.   

About the TV Show of Al-Hayat Channel

Published in October 5, 2014

Question: … Dear Sir, … I liked very much your episode when the Christian TV channel Al-Hayat hosted you as a guest, and I admire your patience with this insolent presenter (the ex-Muhammadan  Rashid who is a Christian man now) as he kept interrupting you all the time  … Thank you …   

Answer:

  The episode's duration was short and there were so many questions and so many topics to be covered; our answers to his questions had to be very brief; we had to overlook many details. We felt angered inwardly but we did not show it as he mocked some of my views and as he insulted the Quran; I had to smile and be very cool from the outside or the exterior as much as we can. This episode is the first one; there is a second and last one that are not aired yet. we are thankful for this channel for giving us the chance to  defend Islam and undermine Sunnite Wahabism; other channels do not like to host us and media blackout is still suffered by Quranists, you know. We are very happy that thousands of people watched this video of ours. This way, the number of Quranists may increase.