Within a Quranist Vision, We Tackle The Fact That Arabs, As A Nation, Never Understand
Published in March 2, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Firstly: the terms (Arabs) and (Arabic) in the Quranic text:
1- The adjective (Arabic) comes in the Quranic text to describe the tongue within which the Quran has been revealed: "Thus We revealed it as an Arabic code of law..." (13:37); "...this is a clear Arabic tongue." (16:103); "The Honest Spirit came down with it. Upon your heart, that you may be one of the warners. In a clear Arabic tongue." (26:193-195); "Thus We inspired you with an Arabic Quran..." (42:7); "...And this is a confirming Book, in the Arabic language, to warn those who do wrong - and good news for the doers of good." (46:12).
2- The term (Arabs) in the Quranic text does not describe an ethnicity or a race of the dwellers of Arabia during the era of Muhammad; rather, we see that the contemporaries of Muhammad are described as disbelievers, polytheists, hypocrites, and believers, and these descriptions, of course, apply to all those who repeat the same situations, deeds, stances, and words in all eras. Sometimes, they are referred to only as the people of Muhammad: "These are some stories from the past that we reveal to you. Neither you, nor your people knew them before this..." (11:49); "It is a message for you, and for your people; and you will be questioned." (43:44); "And when the son of Mary was cited as an example, your people opposed." (43:57).
Secondly: the verb (to understand) in the Quranic text:
1- The terms "brain(s)" & "mind(s)" are never mentioned in the Quranic text (as the words soul/heart are used instead). Yet, we find in the Quran the verb (to understand) which denotes the use or non-use of the minds; hence, those who use their minds to understand are real, monotheistic believers, and those who never use their minds, which are gifts from God to human beings, are worse than cattle or animals; this is the meaning of this verse: "Or do you assume that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle, but even more errant in their way." (25:44).
2- Thus, those who use their minds are believers who believe only in Allah as the Only God and Creator of the heavens and the earth; in contrast, those who never use their minds are the disbelievers who kneel before deified mortals or things/items/mausoleums/idols and believe in mythological narratives. Here, the minds differ from intelligence; e.g., brilliant scientists who specialize in nuclear energy are geniuses with high IQ percentages, and yet, they might prostrate before an idol/statue of Buddha or Mary the mother of Jesus or worship at sanctified mausoleums. This means that they do not use their minds to reject polytheistic mythology and to understand true monotheism. Another example is the conmen and swindlers with high IQ percentages who deceive people and steal their money; if they use their minds properly, they would not steal and would not consume ill-gotten money and think instead of their real future in the Hereafter.
3- Hence, using one's mind is directly linked to belief, while lack of the use of one's mind indicates disbelief. The people who are described in the Quran as those do not understand are the disbelievers.
3/1: God descends defilement/disgrace upon those disbelievers who never understand or refuse to understand: "No soul can believe except by God's leave; and He lays defilement upon those who refuse to understand." (10:100); "Whomever God desires to guide, He spreads open his heart to Islam; and whomever He desires to misguide, He makes his heart narrow, constricted, as though he were climbing up the sky. God thus lays defilement upon those who do not believe." (6:125).
3/2: Within these verses, never using one's mind to understand is synonymous with disbelief: "The worst of creatures to God are the deaf and dumb - those who do not understand." (8:22); "The worst of creatures in God's view are those who disbelieve. They have no faith." (8:55); "And when it is said to them, "Follow what God has revealed," they say, "We will follow what we found our ancestors following." Even if their ancestors understood nothing, and were not guided? The parable of those who disbelieve is that of someone who calls upon someone who hears nothing except screaming and yelling. Deaf, dumb, and blind - they do not understand." (2:170-171).
3/3: To understand and to remember within piety are synonymous verbs in the Quran; e.g., within the end of each of these verses of the Quranic Ten Commandments: "...All this He has enjoined upon you, so that you may understand." (6:151); "...All this He has enjoined upon you, so that you may remember." (6:152); "...All this He has enjoined upon you, that you may take heed within piety." (6:153).
Thirdly: not to understand (i.e., to disbelieve) is the Quranic description of most human beings:
1- The vast majority of human beings do not believe in God except while believing in other gods/saints/partners alongside with Him: "But most people, for all your eagerness, are not believers." (12:103); "And most of them do not believe in God unless they associate others." (12:106). Hence, those polytheists never understand or use their minds; God will tell them the following on the Last Day before they are made to enter into Hell: "Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not serve the devil? That he is your sworn enemy? And that you shall serve Me? This is a Straight Path. He has misled a great multitude of you. Did you not understand? This is Hellfire, which you were promised. Suffer in it today, because you persistently disbelieved." (36:60-64); they will say the following while they are inside Hell: "And they will say, "Had we listened or understood, we would not have been among the inmates of Hell." (67:10).
2- God commands all human beings to use their minds and understand by contemplating on life on earth and how transient it is and to ponder and reflect on the mortal creatures of God and how He will destroy the universe and create an Eternal Realm on the Last Day: "Whomever We grant old age, We reverse his development. Do they not understand?" (36:68); "Know that God revives the earth after its death. We thus explain the Verses for you, so that you may understand." (57:17); "In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the oceans for the benefit of the humankind; in the water that God sends down from the sky, and revives the earth with it after it had died, and scatters in it all kinds of creatures; in the changing of the winds, and the clouds disposed between the sky and the earth; are signs for people who understand." (2:164).
3- The same way of address is used in the Quran about the People of the Book as the disbelievers among them did not use their minds: " Do you command people to virtuous conduct, and forget yourselves, even though you read the Book? Do you not understand?" (2:44); "O People of the Book! Why do you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Will you not understand? Here you are - you argue about things you know, but why do you argue about things you do not know? God knows, and you do not know." (3:65-66); "When you call to the prayer, they take it as a joke and a trifle. That is because they are people who do not understand." (5:58).
Fourthly: the Quran was revealed in the Arabic tongue so that the Arabs would understand it: this is a special, distinguishing feature for Arabs:
1- This special, distinguishing feature for Arabs means that the Last Celestial Message of God is preserved by Him in the Arab tongue for all human beings till the end of days.
2- God has created human beings with different languages, colors, and races; His Word in Scriptures descended within the tongues of the messengers and their peoples; since Muhammad, the Seal of all Prophets, was an Arab man who lived among Arabs, the Quran was revealed in Arabic; this is a special, distinguishing feature for Arabs: "And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors. In this are signs for those who know." (30:22); "We never sent any messenger except in the tongue of his people, to make things clear for them..." (14:4).
3- These two verses are about the reason of God's making the Quran descend in the Arabic tongue: "We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand." (12:2); "We made it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand." (43:3).
4- This understanding means belief within piety and to remember God; this is the aim of the Quran: "An Arabic Quran, without any defect, so they may become pious." (39:28); "Thus We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, and We have diversified the warnings in it, that perhaps they would become righteous, or it may produce a lesson for them." (20:113); "We made it easy in your tongue, so that they may remember." (44:58).
5- Hence, Arabs should have paid attention to the Quranic message that descended within their tongue and mentions them, though they were obscure and unknown in the world before its revelation/descent; God urges them directly here to understand and reflect: "We have sent down to you a Book, containing your mention. Do you not understand?" (21:10).
Fifthly: various Quranic ways of addressing Arabs during Muhammad's lifetime to take heed so that they may understand:
1- These verses address Arab disbelievers who never drew lessons from the ruins of the people of Lot smitten and destroyed by God, though their trade caravans passed by such ruins: "You pass by them in the morning. And at night. Do you not understand?" (37:137-138).
2- Within verses about sharia legislations and about never trusting hypocrites, God commands the believers to use their minds: "And divorced women shall be provided for, equitably - a duty upon the pious ones. God thus explains His Verses to you, so that you may understand." (2:241-242); "...God thus explains the revelations for you, so that you may understand." (24:61); "O you who believe! Do not ally yourselves to outsiders who never cease to wish you harm. They love to see you suffer. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is worse. We have made the messages clear for you, if you understand." (3:118).
Sixthly: yet, Arabs of Arabia did not understand or take heed:
This means they disbelieved in the Quranic message conveyed by Muhammad; God says the following about them: "But your people rejected it, though it is the Truth. Say, "I am not responsible for you."" (6:66). They did not believe in the Quran as they did not ponder it so that they may understand it; the Quran describes them repeatedly as errant people who never took heed.
1- In response to their denying and rejecting the Quran, God has said the following to Muhammad: "If they accuse you of lying, say, "I have my deeds, and you have your deeds. You are quit of what I do, and I am quit of what you do." And among them are those who listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear, even though they do not understand?" (10:41-42).
2- When the polytheists demanded from Muhammad to change the Quran, God has commanded him to say the following: "And when Our Clear Verses are recited to them, those who do not hope to meet Us say, "Bring a Quran other than this, or change it." Say, "It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. I fear, if I disobeyed my Lord, the torment of a terrible Day." Say, "Had God willed, I would not have recited it to you, and He would not have made it known to you. I have lived among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not understand?"" (10:15-16); thus, Muhammad told them that they did not understand.
3- Although they believed in God, Arab polytheists adhered to their deities and gods in the similar way as the Muhammadans have adhered to their deities/saints, past and present. Within the dialogues addressed to them, God has told Muhammad the following: "And if you asked them, "Who sends water down from the sky, with which He revives the earth after it had died?" They would say, "God." Say, "Praise be to God." But most of them do not understand." (29:63).
4- God says the following about their taking for themselves allies/saints/intercessors (in the way Muhammadans do today): "Or have they chosen intercessors other than God? Say, "Even though they have no power over anything, and are devoid of understanding?"" (39:43).
5- God says the following about their false sharia legislations and laws: "...those who disbelieve fabricate lies about God - most of them do not understand." (5:103).
6- Within the context when God has told them to draw lessons from the fate of ancient disbelievers, we read the following: "Have they not journeyed in the land, and had hearts to understand with, or ears to listen with? It is not the eyes that go blind, but it is the hearts, within the chests, that go blind." (22:46).
7- God describes them as worse than cattle in this verse addressed to Muhammad: "Or do you assume that most of them hear or understand? They are just like cattle, but even more errant in their way." (25:44).
8- The above point includes some companions of Muhammad; God says the following about them: "Those who call you from behind the chambers-most of them do not understand. Had they remained patient until you came out to them, it would have been better for them. But God is Forgiving and Merciful." (49:4-5).
Lastly:
1- It is a great miracle by the Lord God that ironically, the Quranic text is partly preserved by the Arabs; they deny and disbelieve in it, and yet, they print and spread countless copies of the Quran worldwide and in translations into all tongues on earth; they could not distort and change its verses which are preserved by the Omnipotent Lord God, but they have twisted, warped, and distorted their meanings by the so-called books of interpretations and they have stopped the application of the Quranic sharia laws and legislations by their so-called notion of Naskh (i.e., replacement of Quranic sharia by hadiths and fiqh). Thus, they have fabricated devilish falsehoods and lies, or rather Satanist revelations, and ascribed them to God's religion by force, and this is how the earthly, man-made religions of the Arab Muhammadans have been established.
2- The Quranic text, which is preserved by God Himself till the end of days, will be the reason why the Arab disbelievers in all eras will have no pretexts or excuses on the Last Day to argue about their disbelieving stances.
3- We talk here, of course, about the vast majority of Arabs in every era and not all of them.