Arguing with the People of the Book and with Disbelievers who Refuse the Quran as the Only Discourse in Islam

Published in June 6, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

1- God has made the Quranic message descend on Muhammad as a mercy to the humankind and also as a warning addressed to them: "We did not send you except as mercy to the humankind." (21:107); "Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, to be a warning to humanity. " (25:1).

2- This includes the People of the Book as they are part of humanity to which the Quran is addressed: "O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, clarifying for you much of what you kept hidden of the Book, and overlooking much. A Light from God has come to you, and a Clear Book." (5:15); "O People of the Book! Our Messenger has come to you, making things clear to you - after a cessation of messengers - so that you cannot say, "No preacher has come to us, and no warner." In fact, a preacher has come to you, and a warner; and God is Capable of everything." (5:19); "And believe in what I revealed, confirming what is with you; and do not be the first to deny it; and do not exchange My Verses for a small price; and be conscious of Me within piety." (2:41); "This Quran relates to the Israelites most of what they differ about. And it is guidance and mercy for the believers. Your Lord will judge between them by His wisdom. He is the Almighty, the All-Knowing." (27:76-78).

3- Those among the human beings who seek God's mercy should believe in the Quran while seeking guidance ONLY in it; hence, preaching the Quran to those God-fearing, pious mercy-seekers increases their guidance; God has said the following to Muhammad and to all preachers of the Quranic Truth in later eras: "...So remind by the Quran whoever fears My warning." (50:45); "...You are to warn those who fear their Lord inwardly, and perform the prayer. He who purifies himself purifies himself for his own good. To God is the ultimate return." (35:18).

4- It is no use to try to guide/preach/warn those disbelievers/polytheists who insist on adhering to their disbelief/polytheism; God has said the following about them to Muhammad and to all preachers of the Quranic Truth in later eras: "It is the same for them, whether you warn them, or do not warn them - they will not believe." (36:10). Muhammad had warned, and all preachers should warn, only those pious believers in God: "You warn only him who follows the Remembrance, and fears the Dominant Lord inwardly. So give him good news of forgiveness, and a generous reward." (36:11). Hence, it was of no avail at all for Muhammad to waste his time and effort with those misguided ones who insist on following misguidance; he reminded and warned only those who feared their Lord God and followed the Quranic Truth as they seek guidance; preaching them bore its fruit; Muhammad has been commanded to avoid polytheists and ignoramuses: "We did not reveal the Quran to you to make you suffer. But only as a reminder for him who fears." (20:2-3); "So remind, if reminding helps." (87:9); "So proclaim openly what you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists." (15:94); "Follow what was revealed to you from your Lord. There is no God but He. And turn away from the polytheists." (6:106); "...and avoid the ignorant ones." (7:199); "So avoid him who has turned away from Our Remembrance, and desires nothing but the present life." (53:29). 

5- Having mentioned the above introduction, we tackle in the points below the issue of arguing with the People of the Book and with disbelievers/polytheists who refuse the Quran as the Only Discourse in Islam.

Firstly: arguing with the People of the Book:

1- There is not a vital need for, or indeed any importance of, arguing with the People of the Book (i.e., Jews + Christians) because the Lord God has dialogues addressed to them in the Quranic text; this is enough, of course.

2- God has preached the People of the Book in the Quran; e.g., in these verses: "Say, "O People of the Book, come to terms common between us and you: that we worship none but God, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides God." And if they turn away, say, "Bear witness that we have submitted."" (3:64); "O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion, and do not say about God except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messenger of God, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and do not say, "Three." Refrain-it is better for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him-that He should have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the earth, and God is a sufficient Protector." (4:171).

3- God has warned the People of the Book in the Quran; e.g., in these verses: "O you who were given the Book! Believe in what We sent down, confirming what you have, before We obliterate faces and turn them inside out, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers. The command of God is always done. God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whomever He wills. Whoever associates anything with God has devised a monstrous sin." (4:47-48).

4- God asserts that Jesus Christ was a mortal human being and He warns those who argue against this fact: "The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be," and he was." (3:59); "And if anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, "Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke God's curse on the liars."" (3:61).

5- God says the following about arguing with the People of the Book: "And do not argue with the People of the Book except in the best manner possible, except those who commit injustices among them. And say, "We believe in what was revealed to us, and in what was revealed to you; and our God and your God is One; and to Him we are submissive."" (29:46). This means that the unjust ones among them would argue against the Quranic verses; we are not to argue with them in this case so as not to be sinners by listening to those who insult the Quran; we can argue only with those ready to accept the Quran as the Word of God and as the Truth and they have heeded the Quranic warning addressed to the People of the Book.

6- Of course, the above points match Nos. 2 &3 in the Introduction of this article; they also agree with these verses: "The Sabbath was decreed only for those who differed about it. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding their differences. Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and debate with them in the most dignified manner..." (16:124-125). By the way, the term (wisdom) is one of the names of the Quran; this is the intended meaning of this term in 16:125; the best way to argue to preach the Quranic verses themselves, as the Quran is the Best Discourse: "God has sent down the Best Discourse: a Book consistent and paired. The skins of those who reverence their Lord shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts soften up to the remembrance of God. Such is God's guidance; He guides with it whomever He wills. But whomever God leaves astray, for him there is no guide." (39:23). Thus, arguing should be ONLY with those willing to accept the Quran as God's Word; we are not to argue at all with those who think otherwise and those polytheists who are unwilling to accept the Quran as the Only Discourse in Islam. 

Secondly: the command of never to argue with disbelievers who refuse the Quran as the Only Discourse in Islam:

1- God has prohibited Muhammad and all real believers from attending meetings/gatherings of those disbelievers who ridicule God's Quranic verses, seeking to undermine them and to argue against them: "When you encounter those who gossip about Our Verses, turn away from them, until they engage in another topic. But should Satan make you forget, do not sit after the recollection with the unjust people." (6:68). Of course, Muhammad obeyed this Quranic command; yet, some of this contemporaries did not; God has reminded, threatened, and warned them here lest they would be among sinners in Hell: "He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear God's Verses being rejected, or ridiculed, do not sit with them until they engage in some other subject. Otherwise, you would be like them. God will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers, into Hell, altogether." (4:140).

2- Satan and devils incite their disbelieving followers to argue against God's Verses with believers; God warns believers never to attend such gatherings of ridicule so as to avoid being polytheists/disbelievers like such sinners: "And do not eat from that over which the Name of God was not pronounced, for it is abomination. The devils inspire their followers to argue with you; but if you obey them, you would be polytheists." (6:121).

3- Those polytheistic followers of Satan never believe in the fact that Allah is the Only God; likewise, they never believe in the fact that the Quran is Enough and is the Only Discourse in religion; such polytheists seek eagerly to argue against Quranic verses with monotheists; this evil practice has begun during Muhammad's lifetime: "Among them are those who listen to you; but We place covers over their hearts, to prevent them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. Even if they see every sign, they will not believe in it. Until, when they come to you, to argue with you, those who disbelieve will say, "These are nothing but myths of the ancients."" (6:25). The same stance expressed in 6:25 is adopted by the Muhammadans now; they argue against Quranic verses of the Lord God by accusing them of being insufficient, vague, and too concise and that they need Sunna hadiths to be understood within the 'right' perspective! Those who adopt such view/stance of polytheism must be avoided by real monotheists; God has said the following to Muhammad and to all Quran-believing people in all eras: "But if they dispute with you, say, "God is fully aware of what you do." God will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection regarding what you disagree about." (22:68-69).  

4- God says the following about such polytheists/disbelievers: "We send the messengers only as deliverers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve argue with false argument, in order to defeat the Truth thereby. They take My Verses, and the warnings, for a joke. Who commits graver injustice than he, who, when reminded of his Lord's Verses, turns away from them, and forgets what his hands have put forward? We have placed coverings over their hearts, lest they understand it, and heaviness in their ears. And if you call them to guidance, they will not be guided, ever. " (18:56-57). Hence, the polytheistic Muhammadans argue using their falsehoods (e.g., Sunna hadiths, fiqh, narratives, etc.) in order to undermine and reject the Quranic Truth; they discard Quranic Light which will never reach their soul/hearts since they insist on misguidance. It is no use to argue with them; they will offend the ears of monotheists by quoting the lies and falsehoods known as hadiths which assert their abandoning and rejecting the Quran in which they disbelieved and which they accuse of being vague, lacking, and insufficient.  

5- Of course, the Muhammadans' arguing against the Quranic verses imply their disbelief in God; they believe instead in an imaginary deity whom they have named 'Muhammad' who (within their myths fashioned and accumulated with the passage of centuries) controls the Last-Day events as an intercessor; they worship at the abomination of the Yathreb mosque while assuming that as if their eternal deity were alive underneath their feet in such a mausoleum! They supplicate to this imaginary god and mention its name in Azan (i.e., call to prayers), the testimony of Islam, and in prayers; they also perform special prayer to him called Sunna prayers along with the five daily prayers to God! Of course, the real historical figure of Muhammad, the mortal prophet of the gentiles mentioned ONLY in the Quran, has nothing to do with this imaginary godhead of the Muhammadans nor with hadiths/narratives which are very insulting to God and contain notions of disbelief and blasphemy that contradict the Quran. hence, the clergymen of the Muhammadans argue against God using books of blasphemies and they reject the Quranic Light of Guidance; they in vain try to 'prove' that God has deputized them to talk in His Name and that He has given His authority to an entombed imaginary deity! These verses apply to such polytheists: "Among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge and follows every defiant devil. It was decreed for him, that whoever follows him - he will misguide him, and lead him to the Hell-torment." (22:3-4); "And among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, or guidance, or an enlightening scripture. Turning aside in contempt, to lead away from the Path of God. He will have humiliation in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the torment of burning. That is for what your hands have advanced, and because God is not unjust to the servants." (22:8-10); "...Yet among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, without guidance, and without an enlightening scripture. And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "Rather, we follow what we found our parents devoted to." Even if Satan is calling them to the Hell-torment?" (31:20-21).      

6- Using the confining style in Arabic, God says that only the disbelievers are the ones who argue against God's verses: "None argues against God's Verses except those who disbelieve..." (40:4); the very next verse asserts that this sin and bad practice of arguing against God's verses was committed by the ancient disbelieving nations destroyed by God: "Before them the people of Noah rejected the truth, as did the confederates after them. Every community plotted against their messenger, to capture him. And they argued with falsehood, to defeat with it the truth. But I seized them. What a punishment it was!" (40:5).

7- Such arrogant polytheists/disbelievers are hated by the Lord God and also by monotheistic believers and they also deserve the Hell-torment which is in store for them: "Those who argue against God's Verses, without any proof having come to them - a heinous sin in the sight of God, and of those who believe. Thus God seals the heart of every arrogant ones. " (40:35); "Those who dispute regarding God's Verses without any authority having come to them - there is nothing in their hearts but the feeling of greatness, which they will never attain. So seek refuge in God; for He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." (40:56); "Turning aside in contempt, to lead away from the Path of God. He will have humiliation in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the torment of burning." (22:9).

8- God says the following about their torment inside Hell: "Have you not observed those who dispute regarding God's Verses, how they have deviated? Those who call the Book a lie, and what We sent Our messengers with - they will surely know. When the yokes are around their necks, and they will be dragged by the chains. Into the boiling water, then in the Fire they will be consumed. Then it will be said to them, "Where are those you used to deify besides God?" They will say, "They have abandoned us. In fact, we were praying to nothing before." Thus God sends the disbelievers astray. That is because you used to rejoice on earth in other than the truth, and because you used to behave with vanity. Enter the gates of Hell, to remain therein forever. What a terrible dwelling for the arrogant." (40:69-76).