Fatwas: Part Eleven

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

Verses Revealed in Mecca and Yathreb

Published in October 31, 2015

Question: first message: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … Reading your entire archive several times, I have noticed that you retain in your writings the traditional notion of dividing Quranic verses into two categories: those revealed in Mecca and those revealed in Yathreb… One may cast doubts upon such a division; why do not we, as Quranists, refuse to acknowledge such a division? Does it constitute a part of the Quranist faith that we consider as the only true Islam? If I deny such a division, am I thus denying a Quranic fact, for instance?  What do you think personally? Thank you for your time … second message: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … I know you are too busy, but I write this to remind you that you have promised me to write a series of articles about the so-called division of Quranic verses revealed in Mecca and those revealed in Yathreb and how one is to get to know them and distinguish between both types of verses and which criteria to apply within this controversial topic … I am quite sure this topic is the concern of many Quranists like myself …. Thank you in advance ….    

Answer:

    Our dear son,

  May God bless and reward you. We apologize for delaying the writing of our forthcoming book about this topic, as we are busy reviewing, editing, and finishing many articles prepared earlier for online publication. Actually, we are writing a book concerning that topic you mention, as it is a very important one, and we will tackle in this coming book how to distinguish between both types of verses. Let us give you briefly some points below.

1- Quranists must believe in the entirety of the Quran; this is a prerequisite of becoming a Quranist Muslim.

2- Quranist researcher must base their writings on this basic faith tenet in 3:7 known by those who are rooted in Quranic knowledge that there are definitive verses as the foundation of the Quranic text, and there are other similar verses that repeat Quranic facts in detail. This applies as well to the topic of two types of verses: those revealed in Mecca and the ones revealed in Yathreb. Surely, this topic or notion is never mentioned in the Quran. Of course, we never adopt traditional views on that topic found in ancient books of Middle-Ages scholars. Yet, studying the Quranic verses by us for years affirms that there are signs indicating clearly whether a verse was revealed in Yathreb of Mecca. This fact asserts the greatness of the Glorious Quran; its sharia legislations or laws never change as per changing circumstances and conditions at the time when the Quran was revealed to Muhammad in the 7^th century A.D. when he resided at both cities in separate times: Mecca and Yathreb.

3- We remember that we have written about historical research and analysis regarding religious history, within our book titled "Researching Sources of Religious History: A Practical Study", authored and printed in 1984 to be taught to our Azharite students at the History Department, Al-Azhar University. This book includes a chapter on how a researcher would tackle Quranic stories in Quranic verses, but we do not mention anything in that book about verses revealed in Mecca and those in Yathreb. Few points about that specific topic are mentioned in some articles of ours written earlier. Please wait patiently for our forthcoming book covering that topic in detail. 

4- May God bless and reward you, our dear son Mr. Ahmed Fathy, or your great role in translating our writings into English.             

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 Meccan and Yathreb Quranic Verses

Published in April 27, 2010

Question: … Should we bear in mind, while pondering the Quranic verses, that some verses were revealed to Muhammad in Mecca and some in Yathreb? How could we trust this distinction made by Middle-Ages authors? Or should we, as Quranists, deduce from the context of Quranic verses which was revealed in what city? Are Quranic verses arranged randomly or in a specific, intended manner? Who arranged them that way? How and why? … Thank you …

Answer:

1- The Writing down of the Quran in that arrangements of verses and chapters was undertaken by Muhammad himself, guided by the divine will of God, of course. As for the reason behind this, the miraculous element in that arrangement will be made known to us, Quranists, later on, we assure you.  

2- Of course, the arrangements of verses and chapters does not take into consideration to group distinctively and apart verses revealed in Yathreb and those ones revealed in Mecca. 

3- We should never take into our Quranist readings and ponderings of the Quran any traditionalist views of Middle-Ages scholars and authors as regarding how to specify verses revealed in Yathreb and those ones revealed in Mecca. Their views are man-made and are theirs alone and not part of Islam per se, just as any ponderings or views of all human beings, past and present, regarding the Quran. we personally think that it is wrong to assume that a given Quranic chapter contains mostly Meccan/Yathreb verses except such and such verses.

4- The Quranic general and local contexts may indicate whether a given Quranic chapter was revealed in Mecca or Yathreb. The general context of verses revealed in Mecca revolves around the basic faith tenets; e.g., the basic one of the testimony of (There is no God but Allah), and the moralistic aspect. As for the general context of verses revealed in Yathreb, it focuses on sharia laws and legislations, commenting on hypocrites, and military battles between self-defending early believers and aggressive polytheists. We mean by local context of verses their arrangement inside Quranic chapters and how they are related to the general context. Hence, we tend to believe that there are no Meccan verses in a given Quranic chapter revealed in Yathreb, and likewise, there are no Yathreb verses in a given Quranic chapter revealed in Mecca.

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The Ordeal of a Quranist Thinker

Published in November 20, 2014

Question: … We are launching a media campaign outside the KSA to urge the Saudi authorities to set free the free Muslim thinker and intellectual, sheikh Hassan Ibn Farhan Al-Maliky, from prison … He was incarcerated many times before, but this time, he was not released … The Saudi authorities persecute him for his stance against Salafism and Wahabism … The website of him containing his books is on the following link: http://almaliky.org/index.php … We beg you to support this thinker in any way or method you see best … We need the help of the international community to pressurize the KSA … Thank you …

Answer:

   We thought at first to launch a campaign inside the USA to urge  HRW organizations and activists in the West countries to help setting this thinker free, but we refrained because this might produce the opposite effect; i.e., if the Saudi royal family – the axis of evil worldwide – would know that we personally have interfered and urged HRW organizations and activists to expose and attempt to stop such Saudi injustice and oppression, the Saudi royal family will be stubborn and adamant in its stance against this great thinker and might not release him. we know how such criminal royal family members think; they hate us so much, and if we interfere, they might accuse the thinker of contacting us to spread Quranism inside the KSA, a crime punishable inside the KSA! Such criminal royal family members never tolerate Quranist peaceful opposition figures; they only tolerate the existence of Wahabi opposition movements stemming from their wicked Wahabi religion. In the case of that writer/thinker, he never reveals his being a Quranist, and despite his being peaceful, the Saudi authorities resent his criticism of the Sunnite Wahabi deities like Al-Bokhary, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Abdul-Wahab, etc. in his online writings, as this is a crime for them. We sincerely hope that HRW organizations and activists will manage to pressurize the Saudi tyrants to release Al-Maliky. May God smite the unjust ones. This is the link for our book (in English) about Wahabi opposition movements and the criminal Saudi royal family:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=85

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Farting and Ablution

Published in January 14, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I suffer flatulence and I tend to fart a lot … This occurs daily sometimes during prayers, and I usually repeat prayers and ablution even up to four times because of that … I cannot stop releasing gas during prayers … Is there a solution? Does farting makes one impure and having to perform ablution again before prayers? … Thank you …         

Answer:

 Facilitating and easiness are parts of the purposes of Islamic sharia legislations; of course, you can perform Tayammum, but we personally think that releasing gas does not spoil one's ablution and prayers, as this idea is never mentioned in the Quran. What spoils one's ablution is urination and defecation. Flatulence is never mentioned at all in that respect within Quranic verses about ablution.   

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Washing One's Nose and Mouth during Ablution

Published in April 6, 2007

Question: …Is gargling or rinsing one's mouth with water during performing ablution wrong? What about washing one's nose with water during ablution? … Shall I stop both practices as they are not mentioned in the Quran in verses tackling ablution? Thank you …

Answer:

  Indeed, both practices are not part of performance of ablution before prayers, as far as the Quran is concerned, and therefore, it is not wrong to stop or to go on doing this. Please do not assume you are doing something wrong; just bear in mind that this is permissible but do not expect being rewarded by God for doing both practices while performing ablution or consider yourself a sinner because you stopped doing them.    

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My Husband Does Not Pray

Published in March 4, 2016

Question: … I live in France, with my husband and my two adolescent boys … the children are lax in prayers because they see that their father never prays, but I insist on their performing the five daily prayers … I taught them to pray since their childhood, and they used pray regularly before our immigration to France … I discussed the matter with my husband, as he should be their role-model, but he usually promises me to pray and he does not. I failed to convince him to pray and the children know he lied to them when he said he prays alone in his room … The problem now is that clergymen think that those who do not pray are apostates, and apostates who deny faith should never be allowed to marry a Muslim woman … I sleep now in a separate room and bed, vowing never to have sex with my husband unless he returns to Islam by praying regularly … But I feel guilty; he is adamant in refusing to pray upon my request, and he feels sad because he thinks I no longer love him, but I really do. He is still a conscientious, generous, good-natured man with high moralistic level who treats me kindly and lovingly … But can I still be married to an infidel who rejects Islamic prayers? … Am I wrong to forsake his bed? What do you think? Thank you …

Answer:

   Please, our daughter, try to understand that one's religious stance, beliefs, and practices are personal responsibilities judged only by God in the Hereafter. Within Islam (Quranism), marriages are not annulled for differences in religions or anything else; marriages end by mutual consent of getting a divorce and by self-repudiation allowed in the Quran for women (see 2:229). Mixed marriages are quite legal in Islam; read our writings about why Muslim women are permitted to marry non-Muslim and atheist men and why it is OK. Therefore, if your husband is a good man to you and your family and gives you all your rights (shelter, care, spending, love, etc.), his faith and religious stance should be none of your concern. This is God's business and right and not yours; as for rights in this world, as long as he cares for your rights, you should give him his rights expected from you. You have been in the wrong to forsake him in bed. You do him great wrong to describe him as 'infidel'. Do not listen to Wahabis in France or anywhere else; we think you should apologize to you husband and start a new leaf in your life together. We pray the Almighty to grant you and your family all the happiness and success you deserve.       

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A Good Peaceful Husband

Published in May 24, 2012

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, I am a big fan and I love your website and read on it daily … I am married to a very good man who loves me as I do him, and I have a five-year-old daughter, and we live in bliss and happiness … The problem is that my husband suddenly declared to me that he's become agnostic; he knows God exists but he rejects Islam and any other formal religion … People around us began to notice that he does not pray and fast, and I am embarrassed … We love each other very much, and he is a peaceful person who treats me with tender and loving care, and so do I … But people think that I must get a divorce if I am really a good Muslim woman … I fear lest my daughter should become atheist or agnostic like him one day; I want her to be a good Muslim like me … What is your own opinion? … Shall I remain with my husband or file for a divorce?  … Thank you.

Answer:

  We have written many times before that the real Muslim/believing persons are the ones who are peaceful in terms of behavior and demeanor, regardless of their faiths or religious affiliation or even lack of them. Faith/belief in terms of heart and religious beliefs and practices is judged only by God in the Hereafter. All people differ in religious views, and our differences will be settled by God on the Last Day. Differences in faiths and religions never impede peaceful coexistence and cooperation for charity and goodness in this life among all people; let alone a husband and a wife. Difference in religious affiliations does not prevent or annul marriages in Islam (as long as both husband and wife are peaceful people), regardless of the claims by Wahabism within their earthly, man-made religion that has nothing to do with the Quran/Islam. What is important is that the non-Muslim spouse should not embrace a wicked religion that incites terrorism and massacring the innocent peaceful people as well as compulsion in religion (like Bin Laden's terrorist Wahabism). Hence, the disbelievers in terms of behavior who commit aggressions, crimes, terrorist acts, etc. are the non-peaceful ones (from both genders) to whom a peaceful person should not get married at all, as per Quranic teachings. Your husband's agnosticism or atheism has nothing to do with you as his wife, as long as he is a peaceful man; it is your Islamic duty to keep your family and husband happy, safe, and protected within your care. Do not ruin your marriage. Please read more on our website, as we have repeated the same advice many times before.      

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The Term ''Amen''

Published in April 25, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … I know you have said that the word ''Amen'' is un-Islamic and should not be mentioned in prayers as it is never mentioned in the Quran, and you have said that the Hebrews might have adopted this term that originally refers to Amon, the Pharaonic god, and then the term infiltrated within Christian and Muslim prayers later on … But I'm asking you what about those who still utter this word as usual; would their prayers be deemed unacceptable and they would be regarded as sinning persons? What about those who do not know the origin of this term? Thank you …

Answer:

  In our opinion, it is no sin uttering the word ''Amen'' if the speaker means (So be it) or '(Please God answer my prayers). The prayers deemed acceptably by God are the ones performed with concentration, piety, and in the fear of God; the ones that prevents real believers from sinning all day long, and performed while glorifying and sanctifying only God and no one else at all. 

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A Summary of Quranist Islam

Published in January 22, 2016

Question: … Could you please, Sir, tell me the Quranic verses that may summarize, in your opinion, Quranist Islam in terms of faith and behavior?… Thank you in advance …   

Answer:

  Of course, there are certain Quranic verses that summarize the values, morals, sharia laws, and faith of Islam; those who apply them all their lives until they die will be rewarded in this life and in the Afterlife. These verses are the following: 2:177, 3:133-136, 4:36, 16:90-97, 17:22-39, 23:1-11, 23:57-61, 25:63-76, 42:36-43, 70:19-35, and the Quranic Ten Commandments found in 6:151-153. 

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The Love of God

Published in December 31, 2016

Question: … I have written once on my social media accounts that God loves all human beings, including the sinners, disobedient ones, homosexuals, atheists, etc. as they are given bounties in this life and they are given the chance to live fully. Am I wrong in asserting this opinion? Some people have blamed me by telling me that my view is not supported by any evidence in the Quran … What do you think? Thank you …   

Answer:

  We think that God loves the repentant ones, the pious, righteous ones, and the charitable ones, and He does not like aggressors, terrorists, criminals, and the unjust ones. Please wait for our article tackling kinds of love. 

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Does Eternity Have an End?

Published in October 26, 2015

Question:  … Dear sir, … Does eternity have an end? 

Answer:

1- Eternity means the existence of time that begins with entering Hell or Paradise where to dwell forever without ever getting out of each of them.

2- In the Quran, God links this eternity with His divine will: "As for those who are miserable, they will be in the Fire. They will have therein sighing and wailing. Remaining therein for as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills. Your Lord is Doer of whatever He wills. And as for those who are happy, they will be in Paradise, remaining therein for as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills-a reward without end." (11:106-108). " As for those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. They will have purified spouses therein, and We will admit them into a shady shade." (4:57). "Those who disbelieve and transgress; God is not about to forgive them, nor will He guide them to any path. Except to the path of Hell, where they will dwell forever. And that is easy for God." (4:168-169). "As for those who disbelieve, even if they owned everything on earth, and the like of it with it, and they offered it to ransom themselves from the torment of the Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted from them. For them is a painful punishment. They will want to leave the Fire, but they will not leave it. For them is a lasting punishment." (5:36-37). "Those who were followed will then disown those who followed them, and they will see the retribution, and ties between them will be severed. Those who followed will say, "If only we can have another chance, we will disown them, as they disowned us." Thus God will show them their deeds, as regrets to them, and they will not come out of the Fire." (2:166-167).

3- God is above Time, as He is the Creator of Time and Matter: "He is the First and the Last, and the Outer and the Inner, and He has knowledge of all things." (57:3).

4- Eternity and everlasting life cannot be fully imagined by our limited human minds within our transient existence on earth. Likewise, it is impossible to imagine how God looks like. The mind whirls as we watch, read, and hear about outer space and about wonders of nature; let alone thinking about their Omnipotent Creator. 

5- Mostly, human beings do not esteemed God as He ought to be esteemed. Proof: the vast majority of human beings – including all the Muhammadans – deify and sanctify tombs and mausoleums and items made of different materials that remind them of deified mortals.  

6- May God have mercy on us all.

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Our Late Father

Published in November 4, 2015

Question: … I read in one of your articles that you have learnt a lot from you own father, Dr. Mansour, who was a clergyman in your village in Egypt … Did your father reject Sunna and Hadith as you do now? Was he a Quranist without being aware of this term? …

Answer:

   May God guide you to His righteous path. Our father – may God have mercy on his soul – was a moderate Sunnite whose ideas and beliefs are nearer to what we call Sunnite Sufism. Our father was a devout, pious person who performed many acts of worship daily and preferred to remain alone away from people most of his time, as per what we remember about him; he died when we were 14 years old. We ourselves had been a moderate Sunnite like our father, but we have purified and freed our thought and mind gradually from the falsehoods and fabrications taught to us at Al-Azhar and from the cursed heritage of Sunnite-Sufi traditions bequeathed to us. We implore God to forgive our late father; we hope to be like him in high moralistic level, generosity, and peaceful behavior toward people, and we hope to be among those who evades Hell to enter Paradise.   

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A Former Salafist

Published in October 15, 2015

Question: … I am a former Salafist who rejected Salafism/Wahabism ten years ago, … I converted to Sufism but never felt it to have anything to do with Islam, … I converted to the Shiite religion for a while but I found Shiites just as polytheistic as Sufis … I spent a long time in confusion and doubts regarding where real Islam is and how I should understand and read the Quran … I found real Islam that I have been looking for only on your Quranism website. Thank you for your being what you are and doing what you do …  The problem is that when I proselytized Quranism  as the only real form of Islam, some people have mocked me and some called me bad names … People think now that I am an infidel apostate … I feel so sad and frustrated indeed because no one listens to me … What shall I do?! …   

Answer:

  Our dear son,

  To be accused of being an infidel or an apostate is a good sign; it indicates that you have eventually followed the religion of Muhammad. This means that you have embraced the true religion of God by embracing only the Quran: God's Word revealed to Muhammad. The Muhammadans are polytheists who deify an imaginary immortal figure whom they call Muhammad, who has nothing to do whatsoever with the real mortal historical figure of Muhammad mentioned in the Quran. the Muhammadans envy you and oppose you; this was exactly the stance of the Qorayish disbelievers and polytheists against Muhammad and early believers among the weak and poor people in Mecca. Do not feel sad; after doing your duty by declaring your true face and preaching it, you have done your best. Do not talk to them about Quranism anymore. Those who seek guidance and the Truth will find it themselves. We beg you to ponder deeply  upon these two verses to relieve your heart and mind: "Every soul will have a taste of death, and you will receive your recompense on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is swayed from the Fire, and admitted to Paradise, has won. The life of this world is merely enjoyment of delusion. You will be tested through your possessions and your persons; and you will hear from those who received the Scripture before you, and from the idol worshipers, much abuse. But if you persevere and lead a righteous life-that indeed is a mark of great determination." (3:185-186).    

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Was Egypt There?!

Published in February 20, 2012

Question: …  As a historian, what do you think of those researchers who claim that based on their researches and analyses, the word ''Egypt'' mentioned in the Quran was a city/village inside Arabia and not the current Egypt as geographically located now? This contradicts your book titled "Egypt in the Quran", right? … Thank you for your time …

Answer:

  This strange view is utter nonsense and balderdash. We tend to believe that the Egyptian Pharaonic religion influence reached Arabia because when the Israelites were reluctant to enter the Levant with Moses, they remained wandering for 40 years in the deserts, as a punishment for them by God, until they reached Arabian deserts, where they lived for a while. They might have named certain locations there in  Arabia using Egyptian words. Let us not forget that the Israelites themselves at the time were influenced by the Ancient Egyptian lifestyle, habits, customs, traditions, and the Pharaonic religious notions as well. This is proved by their worshipping a golden calf they have made in Sinai; this reminds us of the Pharaonic god/deity Apis, who was a calf carved in metal and stone. Before they commit the crime/sin of worshipping a calf statue of gold, they asked Moses to carve them a god: "And We delivered the Israelites across the sea. And when they came upon a people who were devoted to some statues of theirs, they said, "O Moses, make for us a god, as they have gods." He said, "You are truly an ignorant people." "What these people are concerned with is perdition, and their deeds are based on falsehoods."" (7:138-139). Another Quranic verse shows Moses, during the 40 years of wandering in the deserts, preaching Arabs to worship God and become Muslims: "We gave Moses the Scripture after We had annihilated the previous generations; as an illumination for humankind, and guidance, and mercy, so that they may remember. You were not on the Western Side when We decreed the command to Moses, nor were you among the witnesses. But We established many generations, and time took its toll on them. Nor were you among the people of Madian, reciting Our revelations to them. But We kept sending messengers. Nor were you by the side of the Mount when We proclaimed. Rather, it was a mercy from your Lord, that you may warn people who received no warner before you, so that they may take heed. Otherwise, if a calamity befell them as a result of what their hands have perpetrated, they would say, "Our Lord, if only You had sent us a messenger, we would have followed Your revelations, and been among the believers." But when the truth came to them from Us, they said, "If only he was given the like of what was given to Moses." Did they not disbelieve in what was given to Moses in the past? They said, "Two works of magic backing one another." And they said, "We are disbelieving in both."" (28:43-48). Consequently, it is possible to find Ancient Egyptian names given to locations within Arabia as Israelites passed by Arabia and lived in it for a while, while being greatly influenced by their previous life in Ancient Egypt. The influence of Egyptian religion and culture is tackled in many articles and books of ours published on our website.           

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Inferior Look toward Females

Published in January 28, 2007

Question: … I am not a Muslim … I feel bound to tell you that I think, based on my reading of the Quran, that Islam is a masculine religion with an inferior look to women and females in general … My opinion is based on the notion mentioned in the Quran indicating that ancient Arabs hated women, as I infer from 53:21-22, 53:27, 52:39, and 43:18 … How can you refute this? I should like very much to know your views on that subject … Thank you …

Answer:

  Arabs within the pre-Islamic era had a dominant culture of despising females as a source of disgrace, to the extent of deeming angels as females, and this reflected their inferior look toward God. thus, they preferred themselves to God by ascribing to Him females they hate as His female angels/children and desiring only sons in their progeny: "And they attribute to God daughters-exalted is He-and for themselves what they desire. And when one of them is given news of a female infant, his face darkens, and he chokes with grief. He hides from the people because of the bad news given to him. Shall he keep it in humiliation, or bury it in the dust? Evil is the decision they make. Those who do not believe in the Hereafter set a bad example, while God sets the Highest Example. He is the Mighty, the Wise." (16:57-60). Please ponder deeply on these verses to understand what we write above. Hence, the Quran here criticizes and exposes their inner psyche and their inferior look to women and to God Himself. God denies having any progeny of any gender: "Is not to God that sincere faith is due? As for those who take guardians besides Him, "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to God." God will judge between them regarding their differences. God does not guide the lying blasphemer. If God wanted to have a son, He could have selected from His creation at will. Glory be to Him. He is God, the One, the Prevailing." (39:3-4). Hence, there is no inferior look in the Quran toward women or females; these verses and the ones to which you refer in your question refute a bad tradition of ancient Arabs and how it was linked to their animosity toward God Himself.   

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Jumping up to the Tenth Floor

Published in January 1, 2017

Question: … I am a Sunnite Muslim … I have discovered your website by chance weeks ago … I would like to tell you that I'm sure that God clearly commands us in the Quran to obey His Messenger Muhammad in many Quranic verses such as the following: … … … Won't all these verses be enough to prove to you that there is Sunna and Hadith inspired and revealed to Muhammad by God?! Why can't you see this?! … Please, Sir, publish our message in your fatwas section … May God guide you to real Islam! …

Answer:

  Some people like this Sunnite man would read on our website for the first time, after it has been launched more than ten years ago and after publishing about 8000+ articles on it by Quranists, including our  3000+ fatwas, dozens of books and researches, and thousands of articles. Those new comers would be surprised by so much to read, and they are too lazy or busy to read the archives of Quranists and our archive. They only bother us by repeated questions answered many times before, seeking brief answers like junk food takeaway meals! They cannot bear to specify times daily to read on our website. Indeed, we are fed up with having to repeat the same answers to the same questions over and over, especially in our old age and lack of spare time and effort. The worst type of those lazy ones are like this Sunnite man; as he wears the garb of a wisely scholar who is keen on 'guiding' us to his earthly religion, posing questions to challenge us while being unaware that we have answered such questions years ago on our website. Our website is now like a ten-story building; a new comer must ascend it from the ground floor, then the first floor, second floor, etc. until the last tenth floor. In 2017, the eleventh floor is being built as the eleventh year since we have launched our Quranism website.  This Sunnite writer of this message imagines that he will embarrass and refute us by asking us to publish his question. We refer him to our book titled ''The Quran Is Enough'', published in print in 1990, Cairo, Egypt, and published on our website in Arabic, English, and French; he will read that the word ''messenger'' in the Quranic text means the Quranic message itself, after the death of Muhammad, and in his lifetime meant also the Quranic guidance he brought from God; God has urged Arabs to obey Muhammad as only regarding the Quranic message itself. Shame on anyone trying again to waste our precious limited time!      

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We Are Not a Shiite

Published in January 11, 2008

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … Some foes who hate you accuse you of being a Shiite who is employed and paid handsomely to pose as a free thinker to undermine, criticize, and attack Sunnite Wahabism … Please try to refute and debunk Shiite notions and creed in coming writings, if you have time, to silence such silly people who attack your person to undermine Quranism  … I have two questions: 1) what are the last words to utter before finishing the five daily prayers? 2) some thinker has asserted that in 1:4, one word should be pronounced in a different way in Arabic to mean "[God] owned the Day of Judgment" instead of "[God is the] Master of the Day of Judgment.", what do you think?  

Answer:

  Of course, we are a Quranist, not a Shiite, a Sufi, or a Sunnite; our faith does NOT include deification or sanctification of mortals and things and items as is the case with the three types of the Muhammadans and the followers of other earthly religions. Some writings of mine refute and criticize the Shiite and Sufi religions, but the greater part of our writings is dedicated to refute Sunnite Wahabism because it poses now a veritable danger to world peace and it is still the dominant, spread creed causing bloodshed worldwide by terrorists. Of course, our reading of the Quranic Chapter One is the same; in 1:4, God describes Himself as the Master of the Day of Judgment, and this indicates supreme power and dominance. Of course, the last words uttered in the five daily prayers are: (peace, mercy, and blessings of God be with you), uttered twice while looking right and then left, after one is finished with reciting the testimony of prayers which is the verse 3:18 for Quranists.  

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We Are Not Another Martin Luther

Published in September 1, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am one of the many admirers of your school of thought … You are the one who have freed our minds from mental chains imposed by the dominant corrupt culture … You are the one who have cleared the name of Islam from falsehoods and lies imposed on Arabs by the Wahabi Bedouins of Arabia … Please allow me to liken you to Martin Luther, for you are a great thinker and reformer like him and the great M. Abdou and others who preceded you … May God reward and bless you … Please, Sir, do not feel depressed or offended; your slanderers among clergymen who abuse you verbally are furious because they cannot refute you … They are losing grounds because people are fed up with religiosity and shallowness of such ignoramuses … You do not have to know my name; I am one of the millions of youths who refuse religious ignorance of the earthly, man-made religions posing as 'Islam; and who reject corrupt clergymen who dominate our lives while assuming they hold the keys of Heaven …  Thank you for all what you have taught us …  

Answer:

  God bless you, our son, and we thank you for your praising our humble person. We should like to tell you sincerely that we do not desire praise; we do not like to be called the Martin Luther of Islam, or likened to any other reformers within history of other religions, for many reasons that there is no room here to mention. What we care about most is to make enlightened people with bright minds like you as a Quranist writer on our website, and it is not necessary to use your real name; use a pseudonym or a penname if you like as most Quranist writers do if you like. All of us write, discuss, and learn, and we have no leader or master and followers or disciples in our website; all of us are minds talking to one another and discussing issues and gain intellectual rewards and benefits. All of us share the aim of peaceful reform of the Muhammadans, using the Glorious Quran, within this pioneer website in cyberspace.        

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Two Contradictory Messages

Published in May 2, 2015

Question: …  Message one: … All Quranists are fools and paid agents of the West to destroy Islam! … Message two: I am from Algeria, and I am writing this to express how deeply I am grateful to you, Sir, as your brilliant ideas have changed my life to the better … I discovered your website 8 months ago, and your archive is a real eye-opener to real believers in God and in the Quran … Of course, I was shocked at first as holy cows and idols are attacked and ridiculed, but soon enough, my heart and mind were opened for the first time to know the real Islam I have been looking for … I take pride in being a Quranist now thanks to you, and I no longer deify or sanctify mortals, dead or alive, or any new od ancient books … I feel I am nearer to God now and that I am a good Muslim … My faith is deepened and is now based on the reasoning mind and the believing heart … No words can express my gratitude enough; may God grant you long life and better health to allow all of us to benefit from your writings … Keep up the good work and God bless you …

Answer:

  Reply to message one: Fools are only those who deify dead and living mortals by making them deities and associates beside Almighty God, forgetting that all human beings are mortals who defecate, urinate, eat, drink, have sex, get married, have offspring, and die and turn to dust. Those polytheistic fools forget that mortals they deify are created from male and female fluids like any human beings. The paid agents are those who grow filthily rich by betraying their homelands and betraying Islam/the Quran, thus betraying God and become losers on the Last Day. We ourselves are an impecunious person who never do this, the real paid agents/traitors are all clergymen who support tyrannical rulers; only fools cannot distinguish between peaceful Muslim reformers and corrupt paid agents who betrayed Islam.

  Reply to message two: We thank you, our son, for your kind words and we implore the Almighty to guide all of us to the righteous path and to remit our sins; may God have mercy upon us and unite us all in Paradise.

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Greetings and a Reply

Published in June 18, 2015

Question: … We greet you and your blessed family of your fellow Quranists worldwide and wish to all of you, from the bottom of my heart, a happy and blissful Ramadan … I'm now a Quranist thanks to your great books and articles. May the Lord reward you in Heaven. Thank you for your great intellectual endeavors for the sake of Islam …   

Answer:

     We implore the Almighty to grant you happiness in this world and the next. God bless and protect you. Keep in touch with us and with our fellow Quranists on our website. On behalf of ourselves and our family, we wish to you and all our greater family of our fellow Quranists worldwide a great Ramadan filled with piety and joy. May God unite us all in Paradise with prophets and good people. Signature: Ahmed Subhy Mansour Muhammad Ali.