The Quranic Terminology: Denial
Was published in Arabic in October 29, 2015
Translated by Ahmed Fathy
Introduction: lifelong experience:
1- During our lifelong vocation of calling people to stick to the Quran alone (i.e. Quranism) for about 40 years until today, we have observed different types of responses from people. Most positive responses have come from simple people, such as illiterate villagers, who have been convinced readily and felt happy and spiritually elevated by our call for Quranism. They used to tell us responses like the following: (I felt that inwardly! But I feared to express that openly!), (I felt that there is something wrong for a long time, now I know it all!), (I never felt able to believe such horrid falsehoods, now I know why!), and (Now I know the true Islam that is reasonable in my mind!). Negative responses sometimes have been at least to be mocked by those who deliberately shun the truth; we used to hear phrases like the following: (Never mind such stories, buddy!), (Stop thinking too much and do not go too far; let us focus on our breadwinning!), and (Creeds are the cause of our backwardness; do not talk to me about God and Muhammad! Grow up and be progressive!). Of course, we can ascribe such mocking attitude to deliberate and complete disregard to the Afterlife due to being fully absorbed by worldly transient existence and/or embracing the atheist mode of secularism/laïcité. The worst kind of negative responses used to come always from the victims of bad education; they used to call us apostates/renegades and readily abuse us verbally and declare we deserve to be killed immediately. All negative and positive responses of all people share one thing: our call for Quranism has stirred their minds and changed something it their psyche; they are no longer the same individuals. They never forget us; i.e., the writer of these lines.
2- Every person is born with innate feelings still unadulterated by life; that is why everyone poses the same philosophical existentialist questions about life and Our Creator during one's childhood and adolescence. Once a person grows up into adulthood, the queries posed sometimes vanish and are replaced by carnal lusts and eagerness to material comfort of every sort. In many cases, this occurs with a façade or a cover from earthly, human-made, and fabricated creeds dominant and prevalent in a given society. A 'cover' means and sounds here like the term ''Kufr'' in Arabic; i.e., unbelief. This ''cover'' here means hiding or tarnishing pure innate instinct by worshipping/revering stones/ idols/ buildings/ mortals (dead or alive), as in the case with the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi creeds with their branches like Wahabism and Salafism…etc. such man-made fabricated creeds that have nothing to do with Islam are taught in mosques and other houses of worship and within families and educational institutions. Conditions, levels, and mindsets of people differ; that is why their responses vary regarding our trend of Quranism as presented by us as the only true form of Islam. Some people are not wholly submerged in falsehoods in their cultures and upbringing; and that is why they adhere to Quranism wholeheartedly and feel so happy accordingly with this type of knowledge that affects their lives in a positive way. Others feel so furious and violent; those whose hearts are confiscated totally by the earthly creeds: once the Quranic truth, as told by Quranists, touches their hearts and shakes their souls and minds, they reject and deny it in vehement opposition. They stick steadfastly and blindly to their earthly creeds that adds more to their unbelief and tendency toward injustice: "…what was revealed to your from your Lord will increase many of them in defiance and blasphemy. …"(5:64) and "…But what is revealed to you from your Lord will increase many of them in rebellion and disbelief …"(5:68). Such people deny in defiance the verses of the Almighty in the Quran. Let us further explore the term ''denial'' and its derivations and varieties in the Quranic text.
Firstly: the meaning of denial:
Denial simply means to state that something does not exist though it is. This is akin to a thief who hides stolen money and denies the theft and pleads for innocence. Moses' Pharaoh and his retinue denied God's miracles given to Moses due to their injustice and arrogance: "And they rejected them, although their souls were certain of them, out of wickedness and pride. So see how the outcome was for the mischief-makers. "(27:14). The same denial and rejection was the attitude of the unbelievers in the Qorayish tribe in the times of Prophet Muhammad; they asked him to deliver material and tangible miracles (like those of Moses and other prophets) instead of the Quranic verses. During the prophet's sadness due to their unbelief, God said to him: "We know that what they say grieves you. It is not you they reject, but it is God's revelations that the wicked deny." (6:33).
Secondly: the Quran got into their hearts and minds despite their insistence on unbelief:
1- In the case of denying the Quran despite knowing it is the truth, God says in the Quran: "Thus We slip it into the hearts of the guilty. They do not believe in it… "(15:12-13), and "Thus We make it pass through the hearts of the guilty. They will not believe in it… "(:200-201); i.e., they felt at heart that the Quran is the Truth but they declare their rejection of it.
2- such type of rejection of the Quran will go on even in the Day of Judgment; unbelievers will insist they have not been polytheists; it is a strange how they go on lying and rejecting: "On the Day when We gather them all together, then say to the polytheists, "Where are your partners, those you used to claim unto Us?" Then their only argument will be to say, "By God, our Lord, we were not polytheists." Look how they lied to themselves. And what they invented deserted them. "(6:22-24). Their rejection will end when they see Hell and confess that they have denied the truth: "If only you could see, when they are stationed before their Lord. He will say, "Is this not real?" They will say, "Yes indeed, by our Lord." He will say, "Then taste the torment for having disbelieved." Losers are those who deny the encounter with God. Then, when the Hour comes upon them suddenly, they will say, "Alas for us, how we have neglected it." And they will carry their burdens on their backs-evil is what they carry."(6:30-31).
Thirdly: examples of denial and deniers :
1- The first type of denial is denying the Quran; these deniers range from those in the times of its revelation to the prophet Muhammad to those of every age until the end of world. Deniers of the Quran are described in it as unbelievers, the unjust ones, and the rejecters. "Likewise, We revealed to you the Scripture. Those to whom We gave the Scripture believe in it, and some of these believe in it. None renounce Our communications except the disbelievers. You did not read any scripture before this, nor did you write it down with your right hand; otherwise the falsifiers would have doubted. In fact, it is clear signs in the hearts of those given knowledge. No one renounce Our signs except the unjust."(29:47-49). Today, the Muhammadans of the three denominations unrelated to Islam: the Sunnites, the Shiites, and the Sufis reject the Quran for the sake of their written-by-mortals tomes and volumes, and they take their religion in a jesting manner "Those who took their religion lightly, and in jest, and whom the worldly life deceived. Today We will ignore them, as they ignored the meeting on this Day of theirs, and they used to deny Our revelations. We have given them a Scripture, which We detailed with knowledge-guidance and mercy for people who believe."(7:51-52). To prove this, let us imagine a Salafi (i.e., a Wahabi) given a copy of our book "The Quran Is Enough" to peruse, he will certainly oppose the Quranic verses that prove Salafism tomes wrong.
2- Other types of deniers are those who deny all divine revelations (the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran), and this includes the Muhammadans and other previous people in history who will be punished in Hell for eternity: "We will make those who disbelieve taste an intense agony, and We will recompense them according to the worst of what they used to do. Such is the recompense of God's enemies-the Fire-where they will have their permanent home, in recompense for having disregarded Our revelations."(41:27-28).
3- Another type of deniers is the deceived and duped masses of followers who have believed the falsehoods and lies propagated by imams and leaders of misguidance in every era and everywhere, who have led the masses into worshipping/revering/idolizing things, books of falsehoods, creatures, and mortals and into polytheism and rejecting true faith, instead of worshipping God without partners: "Such is God, your Lord, Creator of all things. There is no god except Him; so how could you be so deceived? Thus deceived are those who reject the verses of God."(40:62-63). No doubt that these two verses apply to the Muhammadans; they are certainly among the deceived ones by clergymen. Real Islam has neither ecclesiastic positions nor the notion of 'holy' men and women at all.
4- All arrogant deniers in cases of severe calamities, like droning for instance, are readily apt to remember their true innate belief in God wired into their conscience or DNA; they invoke and supplicate to God alone sincerely, humbly, and faithfully. Once survived, they return to unbelief and /or polytheistic notions and practices: "When waves, like canopies, cover them, they call upon God, devoting their religion to Him. But when He has delivered them to dry land, some of them waver. No one renounces Our revelations except the treacherous blasphemer."(31:32). This occurred to Moses' Pharaoh who tried to repent and believe in God in vain when it was too late: when he was on the verge of death: "And We delivered the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his troops pursued them, defiantly and aggressively. Until, when he was about to drown, he said, "I believe that there is no god except the One the Children of Israel believe in, and I am of those who submit." Now, when you have rebelled before, and been of the mischief-makers? Today We will preserve your body, so that you become a sign for those after you. But most people are heedless of Our signs." (10:90-92). Let us remember that Moses' Pharaoh rejected God's miracles given to Moses: "Yet when Our enlightening signs came to them, they said, "This is obvious witchcraft." And they rejected them, although their souls were certain of them, out of wickedness and pride. So see how the outcome was for the mischief-makers."(27:13-14).
5- The unbelievers of the Qorayish tribe in the times of Prophet Muhammad rejected and denied the Quran and demanded tangible miracles despite their acknowledgment that the Quran is the truth; they feared of losing their position and stature in making use of Mecca and the Kaabah financially during the rites of pilgrimage: "And they say, "If we follow the guidance with you, we will be snatched from our land." Did We not establish for them a Safe Sanctuary, to which are brought all kinds of fruits, as provision from Ourselves? But most of them do not know."(28:57). Hence, they rejected the Quran, the only discourse in Islam to believe in, for economic reasons related to the transient world. The Quran says: "Is it this discourse that you take so lightly? And you make it your livelihood to deny it and lie to others?"(56:81-82). This is the same stance of the imams and clergymen of the religious falsehoods and lies of fabricated creeds fashioned by mortals and have nothing to do with the Quran: we mean the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi creeds: their clergymen live in the lap of luxury and earn millions of ill-gotten money. They are against the Quranists and sometimes persecute them if they can. They deny the Quran and earn livelihoods by lying to God and to people. Nothing new under the sun! History repeats itself!
8- the Aad tribe, people of Prophet Hud, is a famous example of deniers of the divine message: "That was Aad; they denied the signs of their Lord, and defied His messengers, and followed the lead of every stubborn tyrant."(11:59), "As for Aad, they turned arrogant on earth, and opposed justice, and said, "Who is more powerful than us?" Have they not considered that God, who created them, is more powerful than they? And they went on denying Our revelations."(41:15), and "We had empowered them in the same way as We empowered you; and We gave them the hearing, and the sight, and the minds. But neither their hearing, nor their sight, nor their minds availed them in any way. That is because they disregarded the revelations of God; and so they became surrounded by what they used to ridicule."(46:26).
9- The remaining type of denial is in earning livelihoods and possessions: God tests us when He grants us material wealth and possessions: will the poor be patient? Will the rich be devout and give alms? Some rich people are bad enough to deceive others by pretending to be poor when asked to donate for the sake of charity: "God has favored some of you over others in livelihood. Those who are favored would not give their properties to their servants, to the extent of making them partners in it. Will they then renounce God's blessings?"(16:71).