A Message from A Reader – May the Almighty Lord God Bless him
Published in July 23, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
1- It gladdens and pleases us more than we can say when our dear fellow Quranists read our writings and discuss what they have read with us; this realizes the motto of ours raised in 1989 and to which we adhere until now: (Let Us Be the Generation of Dialogue to Make our Progeny Be the Generation of Choice) (see our article with this title in English on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16851). Such dialogues are very beneficial for all parties involved; we ourselves use it to find and correct any mistakes in our previous writings; many people send us email messages about the differences between our views expressed in writings that date back to the 1980s and 1990s and our views in writings made in the 2000s until now. Our answer is pretty much the same; i.e., true researchers who sift through tons or mountains of inherited myths, debunking them using the Quran, remove the mythology from their minds in a gradual process; we decided not to remove lines from our previous writings of the 1980s and the 1990s to make them references and landmarks of our intellectual career as a thinker within the development of the process of reaching the Truth; we are still removing myths from our mind using the Quran. In the 1970s, we used to be a 'moderate' Sunnite person, but later on, we have reached the conclusion that one is to believe ONLY in one discourse in Islam: the Quran and nothing else besides it; this is Quranism or True Islam. Few books of ours are not going to be published online as they were very bad and reflect the negative influence of Sunnite religion on our mind; this is despite the fact that the swamp known as Al-Azhar University interrogated us in an inquisition-like manner because of such books that frightened the Sunnites; these books are not up to the bar now and never match with our Quranist trend of reform. We feel overjoyed as we notice that the intellectual level of our fellow Quranists increases in their writings and that many of them are better than our person when we authored books in the 1980s, though at the time, our writings were the source of fear to the Sunnites and Azharite clergymen who used the derogatory term "the Sunna-denier" to describe our person. We thank the Almighty Lord God for bestowing on us the bounty of guidance; we sincerely hope that this verse will apply to our person: "As for those who strive for Us - We will guide them in Our ways. God is with the doers of good." (29:69).
2- One of the email messages that has pleased us very much is from Mr. Samir Shafiq; we quote part of it here, followed by our reply: (... Dear Sir, ... I've read your book titled "Al-Khedr between the Quran and the Myths of the Muhammadans"; I'd like to thank you very much for your great efforts and intellectual endeavors to debunk many myths and to show to us the Quranic Light; we implore the Almighty Lord Allah to make Muslims benefit from your great writings and to discard their mythology, especially about the so-called 'saint' named as Al-Khedr ... Please allow me to pose this question about your book: you have mentioned that the Quranic/Arabic term (Ghulam) refers only to a boy (i.e., a male child) who has not attained puberty; yet, when Moses blamed the man for killing a boy in 18:74, I think that the killed person was an adolescent male and not a boy, as murderers are put to death in retribution for their crime, and they must be adults, right? ... Another question is that you have mentioned that God does NOT describe a person among prophets or non-prophets as (good) unless after their death as their Book of Deeds are closed forever and their fate is Paradise and you have quoted 12:101 to prove your point; yet, did not Isaac and Jesus know that they were good persons/prophets as per 37:112 and 3:46, respectively? Did Abraham and Mary hide the fact from their sons that they were good persons and described as such before their death? ... Hence, I do believe that the epithet "good" has to do with faith and belief and not one's fate in Paradise ... By the way, I like your comments on Moses and the features of his character in the Quran as his story is linked with fury and fear; your analysis of his character is unique and gives me much food for thought and many smart remarks to be contemplated ... Thank you ...).
3- We thank him for his message; we assert the points below.
OUR REPLY:
Firstly: about the term (Ghulam) or ''boy'' in the Quranic text:
1- It refers to the expected male child before he was born; this is exemplified in the following points.
1/1: This term is used here to describe Ishmael the first-born son of Abraham: "They said, "Build a pyre for him, and throw him into the furnace." They wished him ill, but We made them the losers. He said, "I am going towards my Lord, and He will guide me." "My Lord, give me one of the righteous ones." So We gave him good news of a clement boy/Ghulam. Then, when he was old enough to accompany him, he said, "O My son, I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you; see what you think." He said, "O my Father, do as you are commanded; you will find me, God willing, one of the patient ones." Then, when they had submitted, and he put his forehead down." (37:97-103).
1/2: This term is used here to describe Isaac the second son of Abraham, as the angels brought to him and his wife glad tidings of Isaac: "When they entered upon him, and said, "Peace." He said, "We are wary of you." They said, "Do not fear; we bring you good news of a boy/Ghulam endowed with knowledge." He said, "Do you bring me good news, when old age has overtaken me? What good news do you bring?"" (15:52-54); "Has the story of Abraham's honorable guests reached you? When they entered upon him, they said, "Peace." He said, "Peace, strangers." Then he slipped away to his family, and brought a fatted calf. He set it before them. He said, "Will you not eat?"And he harbored fear of them. They said, "Do not fear," and they announced to him the good news of a knowledgeable boy/Ghulam." (51:24-28). Abraham lived away from his first-born son, Ishmael, and the angels brought to him and his wife glad tidings of Isaac and Jacob; i.e., they will live to see their grandchild; this was the bounty of the Lord God to Abraham in his old age: "And We gave him Isaac and Jacob-each of them We guided..." (6:84); "And We granted him Isaac and Jacob as a gift; and each We made good." (21:72); "And We granted him Isaac and Jacob..." (29:27).
1/3: This term is used here to describe John; the angels brought glad tidings about him to Zachariah who implored the Lord God to make him have a son: "Then the angels called out to him, as he stood praying in the sanctuary: "God gives you good news of John; confirming a Word from God, and honorable, and moral, and a prophet; one of the good ones." He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy/Ghulam, when old age has overtaken me, and my wife is barren?" He said, "Even so, God does whatever He wills."" (3:39-40); "O Zachariah, We give you good news of a son, whose name is John, a name We have never given before." He said, "My Lord, how can I have a boy/Ghulam, when my wife is barren, and I have become decrepit with old age?"" (19:7-8).
1/4: This term is used here to describe Jesus as arch-angel Gabriel brought glad tidings about him to Mary: "He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure boy/Ghulam." She said, "How can I have a boy/Ghulam, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?"" (19:19-20).
2- The term (Ghulam) means the male child from the day he was born until he reached puberty or adolescence; we infer this from the following details within some Quranic stories.
2/1: We read this about Joseph as a boy when he was thrown into an empty water-well by his elder brothers and when he was found and sold to the Potiphar of Egypt: "A caravan passed by, and they sent their water-carrier. He lowered his bucket, and said, "Good news. Here is a boy/Ghulam."..." (12:19); "The Egyptian who bought him said to his wife, "Take good care of him; he may be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son."..." (12:21). Later on, Joseph reached adolescence and became a mature man: "When he reached his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. We thus reward the righteous ones." (12:22).
2/2: We read this within the story of Moses and his encounter with another prophet: "Then they set out. Until, when they encountered a boy/Ghulam, he killed him. He said, "Did you kill a pure soul, who killed no one? You have done something terrible." He said, "Did I not tell you that you will not be able to endure with me?"" (18:74-75); "As for the boy/Ghulam, his parents were believers, and we feared he would overwhelm them with oppression and disbelief...And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphaned boys/Ghulams in the city..." (18:80-82).
Secondly: about the description (good) in the Quranic text:
1- Real, pious believers who perform good deeds during their lifetimes are also liable to commit bad deeds or sins; no mortals (including prophets of God) is infallible or immune against sinning and making mistakes: "If God were to hold the humankind for their injustices, He would not leave upon it a single creature, but He postpones them until an appointed time. Then, when their time arrives, they will not delay it by one hour, nor will they advance it." (16:61); "If God were to punish the people for what they have earned, He would not leave a single living creature on its surface. But He defers them until a stated time. Then, when their time has arrived - God is Observant of His creatures." (35:45).
2- All pious believers attain piety by imploring God all the time for pardon and forgiveness and they readily repent of, and atone for, their sins when they disobey God; this is among the features of the pious ones: "Those who are pious - when an impulse from Satan strikes them, they remind themselves, and immediately see clearly." (7:201); "And race towards forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious ones. Those who give in prosperity and adversity, and those who restrain anger, and those who forgive people. God loves the doers of good. And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins-and who forgives sins except God? And they do not persist in their wrongdoing while they know. Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. How excellent is the reward of the workers." (3:133-136).
3- Hence, those pious ones judge, blame, and watch over themselves and reform their souls; they never indulge in self-praise so as not to be among the disobedient ones: "Those who avoid gross sins and indecencies-except for minor lapses - your Lord is of Vast Forgiveness. He knows you well, ever since He created you from the earth, and ever since you were embryos in your mothers' wombs. So do not acclaim your own virtue; He is fully aware of the righteous ones." (53:32); many among the People of the Book used to praise themselves within their ascribing lies to God and to His Religion: "Have you not considered those who claim purity for themselves? Rather, God purifies whom He wills, and they will not be wronged a whit. See how they devise lies against God. That alone is an outright sin." (4:49-50); some of the Jews assumed wrongly that they are 'chosen seed' or 'chosen people' as if they were the only allies of God; God refutes them and defies them to implore Him to hasten their death if they were truthful: "Say, "If the Final Home with God is yours alone, to the exclusion of all other people, then wish for death if you are truthful." But they will never wish for it, because of what their hands have forwarded. God is aware of the unjust ones. You will find them, of all mankind, the most eager for life, even more than the polytheists. Every one of them wishes he could live a thousand years; but to be granted a long life will not nudge him from the torment. God is Seeing of what they do." (2:94-96); "Say, "O you who follow Judaism; if you claim to be the chosen of God, to the exclusion of the rest of the humankind, then wish for death if you are truthful." But they will not wish for it, ever, due to what their hands have advanced. God knows well the unjust ones." (62:6-7).
4- Those pious believers implore and supplicate to their Lord God to make them join the good ones on the Last Day; this is repeated by Joseph and Abraham: "...You are my Ally in this life and in the Hereafter. Receive my soul in submission, and unite me with the good ones."" (12:101); "He who, I hope, will forgive my sins on the Day of the Judgment. "My Lord! Grant me wisdom, and include me with the good ones." (26:82-83).
5- The Dominant Almighty Lord God is the Creator of time, place, and the universe; He is the Omniscient Lord Who knows the seen, the unseen, and the future and all aspects of the metaphysical realm; thus, He is the Only One Who can say beforehand if someone is good after this person's death or even before this person is born.
5/1: God says the following about Abraham after he died: "Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except he who fools himself? We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be among the good ones." (2:130); "And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and conferred on his descendants the Prophethood and the Book, and gave him his reward in this life; and in the Hereafter he will be among the good ones." (29:27).
5/2: God has said beforehand that John and Jesus will be among the god ones, before they were born, and He has made the angels bring these glad tidings to Zachariah and Mary: "Then the angels called out to him, as he stood praying in the sanctuary: "God gives you good news of John; confirming a Word from God, and honorable, and moral, and a prophet; one of the good ones."" (3:39); "He will speak to the people from the crib, and in adulthood, and will be one of the good ones."" (3:46).
6- Those human beings who observed monotheism and piety and performed many good deeds will be made to enter into Paradise as God will forgive and pardon their sins; their good deeds will make them fit or good enough to enter into Paradise: "Those who believe and do righteous deeds-We will remit their sins, and We will reward them according to the best of what they used to do...Those who believe and do good works - We will admit them into the company of the good ones." (29:7-9). We know from the Quran that Paradise in the Hereafter, after the Day of Judgment, is preserved only for the pious ones: "Such is Paradise which We will give as inheritance to those of Our servants who are pious." (19:63). More details about this topic are found on our book, in English, titled (Torment and Torture within a Quranist Vision) found on this link: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=136