Fatwas Part Sixty-Nine

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

The Nature of Despotism

Published in January 9, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … What is you view of the author Abdul-Rahman Al-Kawakibi (c. 1855 – c. 1902 A.D.) and his book titled "The Nature of Despotism"? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 This is a pioneer book and the first of its genre in the Arab world, authored by a Syrian pioneer intellectual during the Ottoman Era when he stayed in Egypt (some people claim this great author was poisoned by the Ottomans, but this has never been verified). Al-Kawakibi discusses in his book the idea of tyranny and rejects it; he believed that the backwardness of the Muslims in the Arab world was due to the rule of the Ottoman Empire. This seminal book is the first Arab scream protesting against tyranny by analyzing the mentality and psychological aspect of tyrants. Yet, Al-Kawakibi was a lone voice in the wilderness; Arabs until now never take heed of his book, as they submit willingly to tyrannical rulers and channel their hatred toward 'foreign enemies' in the West, despite the fact that the real enemies are tyrants ruling the Arabs. If Arabs would get rid of those tyrants and apply democracy, they would compete with (and not feel enmity toward) West democratic countries.   

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My Terminally Ill Father!

Published in January 9, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … My father is now terminally ill; he has cancer; his doctor has told me he might live only for four months! What am I going to do?! Please tell me! Would I supplicate and implore God day and night to elongate my father's life or to cure him? What would I do and how I should deal with my father from now on, since he is unaware of the fact that he might die soon?! Any advice? … Thank you …  

Answer:

 No one knows the time of anyone's death except Almighty God. Death is the inescapable fate ordained by Almighty God on human beings and all creatures within predestined time specified for each of them. To get ill and/or cured is part of fates ordained by the Dominant Lord as well. When one's predestined time to die comes, this is inevitable of course. We are to accept this fate; one's preordained lifetime duration cannot be elongated. You should not feel sad or joyful when someone dies; we are to be content and submit to this fate and implore God to have mercy on the soul of the deceased ones and to pardon them. As for what you should do, be always near your father with tender, loving care. This is your chance to give to him what is due from you as his dutiful, grateful son, and if he would live, he would remain indebted to you. If he would die, you will feel you have done your best with him and fulfilled your duty, and he would die after blessing you. This is your chance as well to get nearer to God by sincere repentance, obedience, prayers, remembrance, charity donations or zakat, glorifying God's Name, and supplicating and imploring Him. These times of adversity are the greatest moments for those who seek to correct their faith, attain more piety, repent, and perform as many good deeds as they can.  

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About the Verse 40:19

Published in January 9, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … God says in the Quran: "He knows the deceptions of the eyes, and what the hearts conceal." (40:19). Does this phrase (the deceptions of the eyes) mean, as typically taught to us when we were children, the lustful looks toward any members of the opposite sex? What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

 The verse 40:19 includes more than what you say; God's Omniscience includes knowing one's good and bad intentions, sexual desires, tendencies to commit sins and aggression, etc. that one harbors inside one's heart/mind, and one's eyes reflect all these things. Thus, the phrase (the deceptions of the eyes) refers to all looks that express lust, evil, goodness, kindness, envy, happiness, joy, etc. known only to God, while other mortals around a person would be unaware of these looks. 

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Joseph Asking for a Job?

Published in January 10, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Did Joseph in 12:55 asked the Hyksos king to appoint him as the Treasurer of Egypt or its Minister of finance? … Some people say that as per 12:55, one can demand jobs from rulers; is that correct? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 This is not correct; legislations of Islam are NOT to be derived from the Quranic stories, as we have asserted before. Quranic legislations of Islam are in less than 200 verses and they adopt simple, directive styles of the Arabic tongue. For instance, we are informed in 12:100 that the sons of Jacob prostrated before Joseph after he brought them to Egypt; this does NOT pertain to the Quranic legislations; this is only part of the Quranic stories from which we draw moral lessons. Joseph asked the king of Egypt to be appointed in this position to save Egypt from the coming famine predicted in the king's vision/dream. The justification of this request made by Joseph to the king is offered in the same verse: "...I am honest and knowledgeable." (12:55). Again, this does NOT pertain to the Quranic legislations at all. Thus, it is not correct to deduce from 12:55 that pious ones who are experts in certain fields would demand jobs from tyrants or to desire to be among the corrupt, affluent retinue members of tyrants and thus help to maintain tyranny and injustices.

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Devilish Whispers

Published in January 10, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am a Quranist and believe in no other book beside the Quran; I have never committed grave, major sins (i.e., illicit sex, stealing, etc.); I perform prayers regularly and other acts of worship … Yet, my problem is that nowadays, whenever I try to read and ponder on the Quran, devilish whispers of sins and sexual fantasies haunt my mind! What am I to do? I keep thinking about death, the Last Day, and the Omnipotence of God before reading the Quran, but I still cannot concentrate! Am I among those whose hearts are sealed with disbelief?! Any advice?… Thank you …      

Answer:

 You are a good, pious believer; and what you say is evidence that devils try to do their best to tempt you. You must always repeat the phrase (I seek refuge in Allah against Satan the outcast) before all acts of worship. You should know that devils never give up tempting human beings all the time and distracting them when they perform any acts of worship; your piety will increase as much as you try hard to concentrate. The impious, misguided, disobedient ones never take heed of the vital importance to concentration and focusing their attention during acts of worship at all, as devils dominate their minds easily. Please reflect deeply in these verses and let them sink in your mind: "And when a suggestion from Satan assails you, take refuge with God. He is Hearing and Knowing. Those who are righteous - when an impulse from Satan strikes them, they remind themselves, and immediately see clearly. But their brethren lead them relentlessly into error, and they never stop short." (7:200-202); "When you read the Quran, seek refuge with God from Satan the outcast. He has no authority over those who believe and rely on their Lord. His authority is only over those who follow him, and those polytheists who worship him as a deity along with God." (16:98-100).

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Christian Feasts and Celebrations

Published in January 11, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK (or is it obligatory) to congratulate Christians and wish them all the best on the occasion of their religious feasts and celebrations that we never celebrate as Quranists (e.g., Xmas or Easter)? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 What is prohibited for Quranists is to celebrate religious feasts of any type; there are no feasts/celebrations in God's religion: Islam. It is OK to congratulate non-Quranists on the occasion of their religious feasts/celebrations, but this is not obligatory.

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Books of 'Interpretation' of the Quran

Published in January 11, 2018

Question:  … Dear Sir, … What do you think of the books of interpretation of the Quran titled........authored by........  … Thank you …         

Answer:

 We are against all types of old and new books of the so-called 'interpretation' of the Quran; such books contain nothing but blasphemies and insults against the Quran and God, and they distort and twist meanings of the Quranic verses.

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There Is No Contradiction Here

Published in January 11, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is there a contradiction between 21:101 & 19:71? How come that those good ones distanced from Hell on the Last Day as per 21:101 might enter into Hell first as per 19:71?… Thank you …   

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "There is not one of you but will enter into it. This has been an unavoidable decree of your Lord." (19:71) ; "As for those who deserved goodness from Us - these will be kept away from it." (21:101). There is no contradiction at all between both verses; 19:71 is addressing disbelievers/polytheists who will enter into Hell, whereas 21:101 is addressing pious ones who will NOT enter into Hell. Let us quote the Quranic context of 19:71. God says in the Quran: "By your Lord, We will round them up, and the devils, then We will bring them around Hell, on their knees. Then, out of every sect, We will snatch those most defiant to the Dominant Lord. We are fully aware of those most deserving to scorch in it. There is not one of you but will enter into it. This has been an unavoidable decree of your Lord." (19:68-71). This very next verse is about the pious ones who will dwell forever in Paradise, whereas sinners will dwell forever in Hell: "Then We will rescue those who were pious, and leave the unjust ones in it, on their knees." (19:72). The pious ones are mentioned further in the Quranic Chapter 19 in these verses: "On the Day when We will gather the pious ones to the Dominant Lord, as guests. And herd the sinners to make them enter into Hell." (19:85-86). Within the Quranic Chapter 21, we read the following verses about polytheists and disbelievers: "You and what you worship besides God are fuel for Hell. You will enter into it. Had these been gods, they would not have entered into it. All will abide in it forever. In it they will wail. In it they will not hear. " (21:98-100); and we read the following verses about the pious ones: "As for those who deserved goodness from Us-these will be kept away from it. They will not hear its hissing, and they will forever abide in what their hearts desire." (21:101-102).

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This Motto

Published in January 12, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, …Which nation was the first one to spread and adopt the motto (Religion pertains to God, homeland pertains to all citizens). Is this motto OK within Islam? …Thank you …   

Answer:

 The Egyptian nation spread this great motto during their 1919 revolt in order to unify all citizens of different religious affiliations (Muslims, Coptic Christians, and Jews) against the British occupation, as the patriotic love for one's country is shared by all citizens, while one's religion is judged only by God in the Hereafter. This motto is OK as far as Islam (i.e., Quranism) is concerned; this is why the Wahabi Salafists in Egypt hate this motto and distort it on purpose; they are the agents of the KSA who have brought backwardness and obscurantism to Egypt.     

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Hussein Ibn Ali and Al-Tabari the Historian

Published in January 12, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I'm working to gather sources for my MA thesis; could you tell me where to find manuscripts and references/sources to research the historical figure Hussein Ibn Ali Ibn Abou Talib in Sunnite literature? The only known source I've found is the history by Al-Tabari, and the internet contains few Arabic manuscripts related to history … Thank you …      

Answer:

 As far as we know, the seminal, authoritative book of Al-Tabari is the only source about this historical figure; most historians of later eras have relied on Al-Tabari; but of course, Ibn Saad the historian precedes Al-Tabari the historian, but information are scarce about many historical figures in the book of Ibn Saad. Al-Tabari exceeds Ibn Saad in importance and the amount of historical details. Of course, Shiite sources/books are unreliable and cannot be trusted as they provide fictional accounts about both Ali and Hussein. The Sunnite historian Al-Tabari is more neutral in his account of Hussein, deified by Shiites, within the framework of the history of his era; Hussein is a mortal historical figure in the book of Al-Tabari.

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There Are Two Bodies For Every Soul

Published in January 12, 2018

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I like very much your series of articles titled "There Are Two Bodies For Every Soul"; where are the rest of articles of this book? When are you gonna finish it? I like the idea that the eternal bodies of the human souls on the Last Day will be woven from their (bad or good) deeds done by them in the transient world; the sinners would have dark bodies tormented in Hell; the pious ones will have bodies of Light in Paradise … In fact, in this life, one feels after performing good deeds that one's body is as light as a feather and it would glide and not walk on the ground, and when one is overpowered by carnal lusts, one feels a sort of apathy and that one's body is so heavy  …Thank you …        

Answer:

 Thank you Dr. Mustafa Hammad; please send us the links for the articles of this unfinished book to save our time; we intend to finish this book by articles about souls/hearts in the Quran and the notions of repentance, atonement, and pardon in the Quran as well. Typically, we sometimes receive a question that entails a book to respond to it, not merely a fatwa or an article. Because of lack of time and effort as we are about to reach the age of 70, it often happens that we begin writing several books at the same time, and some of them are unfinished yet; e.g., PART II of the book of prayers in the Quran, bloodshed in history of the Muhammadans, the interview of Muhammad with the CNN, Ibn Ishaq and how he distorted the biography of Muhammad, the gap between the Quran and Arabic grammar, the servant Anas Ibn Malik the traitor who told lies/hadiths about Muhammad, the practical religion of the Muhammadans in all eras, the documentary book about our struggle against Wahabism for 30 years which is PART III of a larger book, the book about the term "torment" in the Quran, the book about real enjoining good deeds and advising against bad deeds in the Quran, and our current book about the Israelites in the Quran. In fact, after studying the Quranic text for about 50 years, we still feel that we know very little about it; we are still discovering more amazing facts from the Quran that we have not discovered or researched before years ago. This means that we and other Quranists are still only on the coastline of Quranic knowledge and have not delved deeper yet. We are still in need of learning more from the Quran. We desire that our dear fellow Quranists would help us by never sending FAQs that have been answered before to save our time and effort for replying only to new questions; we would like to finish the unfinished books before we die.    

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Deep-Rooted 'Islamic' Notions?

Published in January 13, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … As far as Quranism is concerned, what are thedeep-rooted Islamic notions in your opinion? I mean the ones without which one is not deemed a Muslim … What do you think?  … Thank you …

Answer:

 We tend to think that there is nothing calleddeep-rooted 'Islamic' notions at all; this is a silly new concept/idea in the sets of terminology adopted by the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi Muhammadans, which is similar to the silly phrase (notions known necessarily of religion). Of course, the Muhammadans differ and dispute over their so-called deep-rooted notions, which are their falsehoods that do not deserve such description in the first place, as they are more fragile than cobwebs, and when we have debunked, refuted, and undermined such falsehoods within our writings, the Muhammadans have attacked us and verbally abused us (and tarnished our reputation) in order to 'defend' the existence of their silly, feeble notions. In fact, real, monotheistic believers believe in God, without ascribing any other deities/allies to Him, and in God's messengers and in God's Word (Scriptures). And they perform all acts of worship and recommend themselves with many good deeds within piety and the fear of the Lord God.

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The Quranic Chapter 96

Published in January 13, 2018

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it true that theQuranic Chapter 96 is the first one revealed in the Quran? Or is this a Sunnite false idea?… Thank you …    

Answer:

  Upon pondering deeply on theQuranic Chapter 96, we can safely say that it is the very first Quranic Chapter revealed to Muhammad. Besides, some researchers have discovered numerical miracles in this Quranic Chapter 96related to the number 19.

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Enjoy Your Hussein!

Published in January 13, 2018

Question: … I hate your negative comments about the Holy Imam Al-Hussein! Please leave him to us, people of Iraq, and be concerned only in the affairs of Egyptians to which you belong! ...... All Egyptians like you are not as good as Iraqis like us; Egypt was conquered by so many nations and foreigners (the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Mamelukes, the Ottomans, the French, and the British) and it has suffered from the military rule in the 20^th and the 21^st centuries! Be concerned only about Egypt and its religious and political crises and do not write about our Iraq and its Holy Imam Al-Hussein! How ugly, cowardly, and impious you are! You are such a .........  … May Allah curse you! …

Answer:

 You are verbally abusing our person only because we criticize Shiites who worship and deify Hussein and Ali, among other mortal deities of the Shiite pantheon. Are you angry because Quranists preach Shiites by asserting that there is no God but Allah?! We answer you by quoting these Quranic verses: "..."Act according to your ability; and so will we." "And wait; we too are waiting."" (11:121-122). As for the despicable conditions of Egyptians, past and present, they are exactly like Iraqis; most Egyptian Muhammadans deify your Hussein. Both Egyptians and Iraqis suffer from tyranny of despots, past and present. Iraq was occupied by Persians, Arabs, Turks, the Mongols, the British, and also by Saddam Hussein. Enjoy your Hussein!

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Women's Rights and Inheritance

Published in October 31, 2011

Question: … Dear Sir, … Excuse me, but you have not written much about women's rights in Islam and inheritance rights in the Quran  … Thank you …      

Answer:

Please wait for our forthcoming book about inheritance legislations in the Quran; there are so many details about women's rights within our 1200+ articles, tens of books, and hundreds of fatwas; we refer you, for instance, to our book titled "Women's Right to Aspire to the Presidency of Any Islamic State" (in English) found on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=79

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Her Marriage Is Valid

Published in August 1, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … A woman after demanding divorce from her husband, after all reconciliation efforts failed, left his house during the three-month waiting period instead of staying in his house as required by what I understand from your writings, and once her three-month waiting period ended, she got married; is her marriage valid? Should she have given her ex-husband a chance by staying in his house within the waiting period? What do you think? … Thank you … 

Answer:

 We assure you that her marriage is valid since it took place after the end of the three-month waiting period, whether she stayed in her ex-husband's house or not. For further information, we refer you to our article about divorce (in English) found on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=15977

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The Quranic Chapter 12

Published in May 20, 2008

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I like very much your ponderings on the Quranic Chapter 12 … You always make me feel as if I read the Quranic verses for the first time; I never pondered that deep in the Quranic verses; I like your discarding and rejecting all silly narratives of Sunnite books that 'interpret' the Quran … Thank you …

Answer:

  Thank you very much; it is our basic methodology not to resort to any of the so-called 'interpretation' books authored by Sunnites, Sufis, or Shiites. It is essential that one approaches the Quran without any prejudices, biases, or prior notions in order to ponder its verses in a proper manner and a clear mind, while seeking God's help to guide us all to the Truth. Please read our book titled "How to Understand the Holy Quran" for more details.  

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Chinese African

Published in June 18, 2011

Question: …  Dear Sir, … I do not like your ridiculing the fact that some colored African women got married to white Chinese men; you have bordered on racism, I think … Thank you …    

Answer:

 Any offense is of course unintentional, and we apologize for it. We never mentioned anything about color or race in our article; this article was a summary of a lengthier one we have submitted as a visiting professor in Woodrow Wilson Center, within a forum held there and an African man spoke about how his countrymen are dissatisfied with Chinese infiltration inside his country's economy. We have drawn an analogy between this case and our homeland, Egypt, where Chinese products fill all the markets and how this ruins the Egyptian economy. Our article has been about the Chinese infiltration of Africa, including Egypt. Of course, generalization is very wrong and is never intended at all, we assure you. Thank you.

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A Thank-You Note

Published in March 11, 2011

Question: … Dear Sir, … I'd like to write this email to thank you very much and thank all Quranist writers who provide to us much food for thought and illuminate our minds, though they suffer verbal abuse and the worst insults via cyberspace, apart from death threats … I hope very much that Quranism spread more and more; may God grant you long life to be able to continue your career as a distinguished author and thinker; indeed, though I never met with you, I sense your courage and truthfulness in all your books and articles … Sadly, our Wahabi enemies in cyberspace tarnish the reputation of Quranism and Quranists with their invented lies that include that Quranists are deemed as promiscuous people who allow sins of all types to a certain extent and consume wine and pork! Another bad trend of enemies are those who claim to be 'Quranists' but they are injecting Sufi or Salafist ideas on their own websites … May God support you, Dr. Mansour … Thank you …  

Answer:

 Thank you for your email. We have expected long ago, of course, that so many of our foes would readily tarnish our reputation via cyberspace and would spend too much money on this while insulting the Quran and repelling people away from God's Path. God will punish them eventually in this world and the next one, as their evil conspiring will turn against their own souls. Thank you again. 

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Oversexed Wife!

Published in January 30, 2008

Question: … Dear Sir, … My problem is that my wife says she does not have enough sex to be satisfied! She demands having sex with me almost every day, and this is too much for my health! When I refuse, she'd weep and demand her right to be satisfied, and she'd remind me that she was divorced twice for the same reason; two husbands left her because she is so demanding in bed! I told her it is my right to have some rest and enjoy some blissful sleep! … Shall I divorce her to get some rest?! Is there other solutions?! Any advice …  Thank you …        

Answer:

 You will not get any rest if you get divorced; this is not a sufficient reason for divorce. You must check if you are too old for your wife or that you suffer from impotence or malnutrition first. You must check to see if you suffer any illnesses. You have not told me how old you are and how old your wife is. Why do not both of you visit a doctor? Or even a psychiatrist or a marriage counselor? Do not jump to the decision of divorce so hastily. After all solutions would fail and after she is not satisfied by gentle touches, hugs, and murmuring sweet words of love that are effortless and if she insists on having daily sex like sex-addicts, divorce or self-repudiation (i.e., Khule' in Arabic) would be due only if she prefers it, as per her rights in the Quranic sharia laws.