Fatwas: Part Forty

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

Lunar Months

Published in June 18, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … God tells us in the Quran in 9:36 about the 12 months in the year; but how could we deduce from the Quran only that these months are lunar and not solar ones? … Thank you …    

Answer:           

  It is well-known that Arabs at the time used lunar months and lunar calendar linked to fasting (in Ramadan) and to Hajj/pilgrimage in the four sacred months of Zu Al-Hijja, Muharram, Saffar, and Rabei Awwal; for more details, we refer you to our book on fasting and our book on pilgrimage.

-----------------------------------------------------          

Fasting and Social Habits

Published in June 18, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Why the Muhammadans are so keen on fasting more than adhering to honesty, charity, good deeds, cooperation, generosity, resistance of evil and tyranny, etc.?  … Thank you …  

Answer:

 We have explained this in our book on fasting; please read it carefully; we briefly assert here that fasting has become merely a social habit and a cultural inherited practice. Typically, within the earthly, man-made religions of the Muhammadans, acts of worship become goals in themselves, not as means to attain piety, as they should be within real Islam (i.e., Quranism). This is why the Muhammadans fast and never attain piety; many of them even fast and never perform daily prayers! This is why Wahabi terrorists now make Ramadan the month of suicide bombings and terrorist operations, dedicated to their deity, Satan, as they commit indiscriminate killings to massacre the innocent people in honor of the Devil.  

-----------------------------------------------------           

Questions about Prayers

Published in June 17, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Why do not you upload a video of yourself while performing prayers to teach people about the Quranist way of praying? … Is it OK to prefer congregational prayers to praying alone and to utter something different than 3:18? Is it OK to perform missed prayers in other times; e.g., the missed afternoon prayers after the sunset prayers? … Thank you for your time …     

Answer:

 We refer you to our book on prayers for more details; we say briefly here Quranists pray the five daily prayers (alone or in groups) in their times and in the same way, except for the fact that we utter 3:18 as the testimony during prayers. Quranists can pray anytime even in cases where they cannot prostrate and kneel (e.g. in planes and vehicles). One can pray two prayers together ONLY in case of fear (i.e., when in battle or when being chased) and not as you say in your question. If you missed one prayer, perform it in its timing the very next day. One is to perform all missed prayers in their timings. It is of paramount importance that prayers lead you to attain piety all day long by voiding sins. We have written extensively about this; we hope we receive no more questions on that topic. We absolutely refuse to be videoed while praying; prayers are something special between a believer and God, and shooting it in a clip to be uploaded is sheer hypocrisy. 

--------------------------------------------------------                    

Return to A Date

Published in June 17, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … God says in the Quran: "He Who ordained the Quran for you will return you in a certain date..." (28:85) … What does this mean in relation to Muhammad?  … Thank you …    

Answer:

 This date is the Last Day; the Day of Resurrection, when all human beings meet with Almighty, Dominant God for judgment, and each soul will defend itself.   

-----------------------------------------------------                    

The Christian Cross

Published in June 17, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, …  What do you think of the cross so revered by Christians worldwide? … Thank you …        

Answer:

  God in the Quran commands us never to deify/sanctify items/things or persons; God negates that Jesus was put to death by crucifixion or by any other means, and this means he died a natural death. People are free to sanctify/revere crosses and to deify mortals, and we are free to negate and refute this, then all of the human being will stand before Almighty God to judge us and settle our disputes in religion.   

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Stealing from the Infidels!

Published in June 16, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK and permitted to steal/rob the infidels (i.e., non-Muslims)? What is your Quranist view of this? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 Stealing and robbing are prohibited and punishable in all cases; these sins are injustices committed against innocent people, regardless of their faiths. By the way, each group of a certain belief system declare all outsiders as 'infidels' and 'disbelievers'.  Muhammadans who live in the West accuse people of being 'infidels' and 'disbelievers' to wrongly justify acts of swindling! Robbers and thieves consume ill-gotten money; God prohibits this injustice of taking possessions of others. Hundreds of Quranic verses assert what we write here.    

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Sharia of Ancient Peoples

Published in June 16, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, … You have said before that Quranic stories are for us to draw moral lessons; but are sharia laws of the ancient peoples/nations are to be applied by us since some of these laws are mentioned in Quranic stories? For instance, Mary used to stop talking while fasting as per 19:26; shall we do the same to imitate her? … Are we to imitate the killed son of Adam by not resisting murderers as per 5:28? …What do you think? … Thank you …         

Answer:

 God mentions some of the sharia laws of ancient peoples and nations in Quranic stories, but in some cases without commanding us to adhere to these laws; in some other cases, God commands us to apply these laws. You can trace examples of both cases in the Quranic text. Thus, 19:26 and 5:28 contain no sharia laws to be applied by Quran-believing people. Thus, it is OK to talk while fasting and to resist violent ones and murderers when they attack us.

-----------------------------------------------------                     

The Piercing Star

Published in June 15, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … What does this verse mean: "The Piercing Star." (86:3) … Thank you …   

Answer:

 We tend to think it refers to black holes in the outer space. 

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Rocks and Dust

Published in June 3, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Are the verses 86:6-7 refer to human beings as created from semen and ovum? Most clergy assert this as per ancient books of interpretation; is that true? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 This interpretation is wrong and false; these verses refer to human beings as created from water like all creatures. God says in the Quran: "Let man consider what he was created from. He was created from gushing water. Issuing from rocks and dust. He is certainly able to return him. on the Day when the secrets are disclosed." (86:5-9). This means that the context here is about creation of humankind and resurrection; people are created from dust + water (i.e., mud), and they will die and will be resurrected. Water, from which human beings are created, is issued from rocks and dust: "...For there are some rocks from which rivers gush out, and others that splinter and water comes out from them..." (2:74).

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Devils in Outer Space

Published in June 4, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Are devils chased by meteors, comets, and meteoroids and other celestial bodies? … Is there evidence in the Quran to support this view? … Thank you …      

Answer:

 The Quran talks figuratively about this; the Barsakh realm of the unseen metaphysical dimensions cannot be imagined by our limited human senses. There are seven heavens and many levels on earth; and each level is a Barsakh we cannot possibly reach. Angels, devils, and Jinn live with us on earth and we cannot see them; we only see the first heaven in outer space (i.e., the known universe) with its stars, planets, galaxies, etc.   

-----------------------------------------------------

Barriers before Performers of Prayers

Published in June 4, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … It's often been said that performers of prayers can concentrate during prayers only if they put a barrier on front of them or when praying while a wall is before them; is that true? What if there are no barriers? … Thank you …        

Answer:

 Concentration in prayers means to perform them reverently in the fear of God – this is done as per the personal will of pious believers who insist on concentrating and on never to be distracted by anything else. It is wrong to make this concentration temporarily and then one would think of worldly matters during prayers! The problem lies in the hearts and minds, not anything physical. It is of no importance if a physical barrier would be there or not to avoid distraction; such a detail is an invention of Sunnites who perform prayers as if they were automatic movements like machines while never focusing on bonding with God in awe and fear of Him. Sunnites focus on minute details that are useless: steps of how to wash up and how to move exactly in prayers and so on. In Al-Bokhary book, we read hadiths about killing those who stand before performers of prayers as they are devils bent on distracting them! How silly! Only Sunnite cattle believe such nonsense!   

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Not Prohibited

Published in June 18, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is it OK to draw/write Quranic verses on walls outside and inside homes and mosques? Or is it insulting to the Quran? … Thank you …

Answer:

 We have said before that this is NOT prohibited.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Our Modest, Almost Nonexistent Means

Published in June 13, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I've discovered your great website weeks ago; I thought earlier that I am the only Quran-believing man on earth who rejects hadiths and fiqh! Thank God there are so many true monotheistic Muslims from many nationalities … My question is as follows: your website is not as organized as it should be; one finds great difficulty when searching any topic. I hope there will be one day pages for specified topics : fasting, prayers, etc. … I hope also that the website would have a chat room for Quranists so that they morally support one another and possibly male Quranists would marry female Quranists so as not to have to marry Sunnites/Shiites who hate Quranism and consider Quranists as enemies … Thank you …    

Answer:

  Dear son, your message has stirred our old sorrows; indeed, the affluent Muhammadans spend $ billions in extravagance, luxury, sexual immorality, and massacring nations. On the other hand, we, Quranists, are struggling to maintain our website withinour modest, almost nonexistent means, though we are impecunious. We personally have many great ideas to upgrade and ameliorate our website and its services, but this is still beyond our financial capacity. If we find generous, noble rich persons to donate to our IQC, things would have been different. Our website now is like a vast storehouse of unorganized items that need organization. God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.   Almighty God is the Only Supporter and Ally.

------------------------------------------------------    

Preferring Human Beings by God

Published in June 6, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Are human beings so mean and base creatures among many other species of God's creation? Are human beings above or below the other creatures? What about 6:38? Why human beings assume they are masters of the Earth? What about 17:70? Or are all creatures are the same before God: jinn, angels, humans, animals, insects, marine creatures, etc.? Or is it an extremist view to consider human beings as base and mean creatures? … What do you think? … Thank you …  

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "There is no animal on land, nor a bird flying with its wings, but are communities like you. We neglected nothing in the Scripture. Then to their Lord they will be gathered." (6:38); "We have honored the Children of Adam, and carried them on land and sea, and provided them with good things, and greatly favored them over many of those We created." (17:70). As per the Quran, God has distinguished human beings above all other creatures that we can see and those ethereal creatures we cannot see; human beings have brains and all the universe and its contents are created for the sake of humankind. Human beings control and tame animals that are even stronger than humans. Such distinguished position entails bearing responsibility for the choice between evil/goodness and (dis)belief when judged on the Last Day, whereas other creatures and animals will die and vanish on the Last Day. It is normal that within insects and animal kingdom, creatures live in groups and they fight one another as they live only by their instincts; they are not tested like human beings. Thus, human sinners are worse than beasts; e.g., Arabs who fight and massacre one another as Satan and devils control their minds. Satan and devils do not whisper to animals. On the Last Day, disbelievers who realize that their fate is Hell for eternity will regret and wish in vain to be like animals that are turned into dust: "We have warned you of a near punishment - the Day when a person will observe what his hands have produced, and the disbeliever will say, "O, I wish I were dust."" (78:40)     

--------------------------------------------------------                    

Human Beings and the Quran

Published in June 5, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, …Is the Quran, as God's Word, better than human beings? Or are human beings more valuable to God than His Quran, descended for their service? This was a chief topic of chat between myself and a friend of mine; is it Ok to compare between the Book and humanity and to decide which of them is preferred by God? or am I crossing a limit here by posing such query? … Am I being blasphemous and losing faith without knowing it?! what do you think? … Thank you in advance for your time …      

Answer:

  The Quran is God's Word and to believe in it is part of the belief in our Lord Almighty God. The Book is NOT in service of anyone; rather, its purpose is to provide guidance for those who are willingly seeking it. the Quran warns, preaches, and brings glad tidings to human beings in the name of God. It is NEVER OK to compare human beings to the God's Word to see which of them is more important to God. the query is futile and leads to nowhere. By the way, the term "human being" in the Quran refers in most cases to human sinners; this is to denote the vast majority of people, not all humanity.

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Rejecting Sharia

Published in January 20, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … A famous thinker/author named ..... writes in many websites to propound the notion of rejecting 'Islamic' sharia laws of fiqh and scholars/sheikhs of the Middle-Ages eras and to reconsider the ones in the Quran, and he says............. What do you think of that as a Quranist thinker? … Thank you  … 

Answer:

 We agree with this writer in his attacking clergy of all eras and their invented sharia of fabricated laws, which are never part of Islam (Islam is the Quran only); but we disagree with him in his attempts to modify Quranic sharia laws. This writer and his likes should read our writings on Quranic legislations to learn more about them and to see how they are matching with secularism.  

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Defending Egyptian Copts

Published in September 27, 2008

Question: …  Dear Sir, … You have written that Copts have invited you to defend them against injustices incited by wicked Wahabis and terrorist MB group members; but if I were a Copt, I would be seriously displeased to hear/read this; as if Copts have no ability to defend themselves against aggressors and those who incite violence against poor Copts in Egypt … What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

 Please allow us to clarify our stance; it is not we who are the first thinker to say so; many wise leaders of Copts enlisted our help to refute and undermine Wahabi terrorism intellectually through the Quran as they know our specialty and our Quranism; they knew we are a pacifist reformer who stand against Wahabi terrorists and extremists who desired to burn and destroy Egypt in the 1990s. Sadly, many voices of reason among Copts have vanished; many Coptic extremists who live in the West incite violence and vie with Wahabis to burn Egypt; the victims in that case are persecuted poor Copts in Upper Egyptian villages who live in constant danger as they suffer Wahabi violence. This intellectual war of ideas is our specialty as we defend Islam (Quranism) and refute Wahabism. We do not call for armed resistance or anything of the sort.      

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Kisses among Male and Female Friends

Published in August 1, 2007

Question: …  Dear Sir, … What do you think of a male and a female friends who kiss as a way of greetings in public, but in a non-sexual way? Is that OK? … Thank you …    

Answer:

 This is Ok if it is an innocent friendship without sexual attraction between the male friend and the female friend; as if they were siblings. One is the judge over oneself in this respect; no one is a mind-reader of others to know their intentions. Anything leading to fornication is sinful: sexual thinking, sexual talking, touching, kissing, etc. But if one is chaste and intends no sinning, one is the only person to decide if such kissing is done in a friendly way or a sexual manner. We tend to think it is very rare that men and women are not aroused by kissing one another on the cheeks.

-----------------------------------------------------                             

Human Bodies in the Hereafter

Published in June 14, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … You have written in your book about death that human beings will have eternal bodies (in Hell and in Paradise) that differ from transient ones of our lifetimes; but I think this contradicts the changing of skins of Hell-dwellers to taste the pain of Fire as per the verse 4:56; they will have the same bodies as the ones they lived in within earthly life, I suppose … What do you think? … Thank you …   

Answer:

  You are under gross misconception; when God talks about eternity in Hell and in Paradise for humanity, He talks about eternal bodies that will stand and bear to live within immortality. Thus, bodies of Hell-dwellers will be pained intensely for eternity without death and will feel the immense torture forever without limits. In contrast, the earthly human body (and also the human skin that transmits pains) has limited pain threshold (within a certain limit, one faints and feels no pain), and its cells are renewed within stages of childhood, youth, senile age, etc. until it dies and decomposes into dust within the earth from which it is created. Likewise, the earthly human body feels pleasure in a limited manner. This pleasure is limitless in Paradise for the eternal bodies of its dwellers who will live there immortally. As for the wretched Hell-dwellers, their eternal bodies will be part of Hell-Fire and its fuel: nonstop and relentlessly and without death! This is the fate of polytheists/sinners who die without repentance after preferring man-made Sunnite, Shiite, and/or Sufi myths instead of the Quran. We are warned in the Quran against deifying things and mortals; most people do not heed this warning and go on with their struggles for transient possessions. We implore the Almighty to spare us from Hell-Fire and to save our souls. This makes us learn that absolute religious freedom is essential and it is linked to personal responsibility resulting in living for eternity either in Hell or in Paradise.           

-----------------------------------------------------                    

Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests

Published in September 9, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … Why is there a mention in the Quran of two Easts and two Wests in 55:17, many Easts and Wests in 70:40, and one East and one West in 73:9? … Thank you in advance …  

Answer:

  There is no contradiction at all: this is a Quranic miraculous fact that precedes science to prove that the earth is like a ball or oval shaped celestial body that revolves around itself. Wherever city/location one lives in on the Planet Earth, there are many Easts and Wests and many sunsets and sunrises at the same time. God made the earth round and this is the reason for this. Let us ponder these verses deeply while bearing such scientific facts in mind: "To God belong the East and the West. Whichever way you turn, there is God's presence. God is Omnipresent and Omniscient." (2:115); "He said, "Lord of the East and the West, and everything between them, if you understand."" (26:28); "Lord of the East and the West..." (73:9); "Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests. So which of your Lord's marvels will you deny?" (55:17-18); "I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests, that We are Able. To replace them with better than they, and We are not to be outdone." (70:40-41).