Fatwas: Part Twelve

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

We Want to Subscribe

Published in August 6, 2012

Question: … We are an Egyptian family and we want to subscribe and become Quranists …     

Answer:

  We do not have the pleasure of understanding you; what do you mean by 'subscribe'?! We have no newsletter, or do you mean you want to join us by having an account to write comments upon what you read? As for converting to Quranist Islam, this takes no formal procedures at all of any type; this is something between you and God.

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 No Worship in Paradise

Published in January 5, 2017

Question: … I do believe that dwellers of Paradise in the Hereafter fast, pray, glorify God, and perform acts of worship … Can this be proved within the Quranic verses alone? Thank you …

Answer:

  We think that acts of worship are duties performed by true believers only in their lifetimes on earth; good deeds and faithful belief in God and His message makes true believers enter Paradise after the Day of Judgment. In Paradise, no acts of worship are performed at all; no verse in the Quran refers to otherwise. We only read in 10:9-10 that Paradise dwellers will thank and praise God for their being rewarded: "As for those who believe and do good deeds, their Lord guides them in their faith. Rivers will flow beneath them in the Gardens of Bliss. Their call therein is, "Glory be to You, our God." And their greeting therein is, "Peace." And the last of their call is, "Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds."" (10:9-10). Hell is an everlasting torment for those who deserve it, and Paradise is an eternal reward for those who deserve it.

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A Statement Is Required

Published in January 4, 2013

Question: … I do believe that you, Sir, should issue a statement to denounce the MB who rule Egypt now; for they have imported weapons arm their terrorist militias to kill Egyptians in the streets and their president Morsi is responsible for such massacres to come. Why do not you address a statement to him?! … Thank you …

Answer:

    Even if we send Morsi hundreds of statements, he will not pay heed at all; it will be all in vain. He is not a president of Egypt; rather, he is a member of terrorist gangsters led by gang-leaders named M. Badie and Khayrat Al-Shater, who use militias to terrorize Egyptians and reach full control of Egypt. We personally have warned countless times against such Wahabi terror for years, to no avail. People who ruled Egypt before the MB seemed to ignore our warnings and they never thanked us for our writings, and no one helped us when the Mubarak regime arrested and tortured Quranists in prisons. Sadly, our predictions of massacres and Wahabi terror rampaging Egypt are coming true now. The massacres can be prevented if all Egyptians stood united together against the terrorist MB to defend our beloved Egypt and depose the terrorist president. This is much better than issuing meaningless statements after it is too late.      

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Differences of Quranists

Published in November 5, 2006

Question: … Dear Sir, I'd like to be permitted to pose this question to you … Why Quranists differ with one another sometimes in certain issues, despite depending solely on one source: the Quran? … Many Quranists write on your website ponderings of Quranic verses that actually differ from your own ponderings and deductions … How come? … Thank you …         

Answer:

   No Quranist, including ourselves, is to restrict another fellow Quranist's mind and thought; each has their own mind, mentality, cultural background, education, etc. All of us might be right or wrong in some opinions; this is normal and bound to occur. We ourselves learn more from other Quranists who write and express their different opinions; we never seek to make Quranists clones to one another as if in a sect with its imam and blind followers and disciples. Quranism is no sect and it has no clergy of any type; we, Quranists, are thousands of intellectual minds that express, share, and discuss many ideas and notions. We personally feel happy with innovative ideas being expressed on our website articles by our fellow Quranists, even if some of those ideas differ from ours. It is typical that researchers might change their views after contemplating certain Quranic verses that contradict earlier views. All Quranists, including ourselves, are pupils learning from one guide and teacher: the Quranic text itself. No human being dare to claim that he/she understands the Quran fully, completely, and absolutely. Each of the Quranists is a researcher who writes about personal ponderings upon reflecting deeply upon Quranic verses; their views are theirs to share and discuss; with no claims of its being the absolute truth. All of us benefit from the varying views, and all of us are ready to be contradicted if proven wrong using the Quranic verses, because all Quranists are truth-seekers, unlike the Muhammadan ecclesiastical ignoramuses who claim to confiscate religious edicts (i.e., fatwas) and they brag of their myths. The only factor to differentiate Quranists from other researchers who research and the Quran is that Quranists never ascribe any hadiths/narratives to Prophet Muhammad and that Quranists ascribe their own views to themselves and not to God or Islam/the Quran per se.        

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We Excuse Them But…!

Published in January 4, 2017

Question: …There are other Sunna-rejecters and hadith-deniers in Egypt like Mr. Al-Beheiry and … … and those in the Arab world like … …  and before them the late thinker Gamal Al-Banna … Why do not you, Dr. Mansour, contact them to agree unanimously on one methodology? Thank you …

Answer:

1- We are the first thinker to start the Quranist trend or school of thought 40 years ago, when we smashed the idols worshipped at Al-Azhar University like Al-Bokhary and his likes. We have paved the way for those who have come after us and paid a heavy price for our intellectual endeavors. We are still engaged in smashing holy cows such as the deified Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi imams, the deified four pre-Umayyad caliphs, and all false tenets and notions, especially making the testimony of Islam as dual or three-part one, as the only true one asserts the monotheistic basic tenet of: (There is no God but Allah).   

2- Within our intellectual peaceful jihad, we have our own methodology explained repeatedly in our writings of pondering the Quranic verses and in researching history and books of the Muhammadans, as per our specialized field of study, and to our knowledge, no other author has written the quality and quantity of our books and articles to discover and explain innovative ideas, pertaining to Quranism, as we have. 

3- Within the margin of our school of thought, radical positive changes have occurred; some Sunnites in Egypt and elsewhere criticize some hadiths openly, but they still adhere to the Sunnite religion as though it were Islam, but they benefit from the safe zone  we have created by our sacrifices and efforts. Those thinkers you mention criticize Al-Bokhary outspokenly and other items related to the Sunnite religion, and Al-Azhar scholars, or rather the Azharite ignoramuses, who are cattle that never use their minds, sometimes seek revenge from such reformers/thinkers by leveling charges and accusations against them in Egypt, and this caused Al-Beheiry to be imprisoned for months, accused of 'contempt' of religion.    

4- We excuse those victims who incurred the wrath of Al-Azhar on themselves, but they differ from us and they are no Quranists at all because they reject the so-called Sunna and hadiths partially and not wholly. As for the Quranists' methodology, it is summarized in the motto: (the Quran is enough). Thus, the thinkers you mention are not Quranists at all; they are still lingering within a stage through which we passed during the 1970s when we were a student at Al-Azhar University. 

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An MA Degree

Published in February 11, 2016

Question: … I am pursuing the MA degree by writing  thesis on some Sufi orders in Egypt during the Ottoman Era … People have advised me to read your books about Sufism during the Mameluke Era and I did just that … Could you tell me any lists of recommended books and references? Could you please help me prepare research synopsis and plan and so on? It is a favor that I shall never forget and will repay … Thank you in advance…

Answer:

  The only favor and only piece of advice from us to you is to depend on yourself doing your research; read yourself all that has been written about Sufism within the eras you mention. Look up information yourself and study closely books of historical research methodology. Pieces of information that you exert effort to glean will never be forgotten at all; seeking help from others will hinder your advance as a proper researcher. 40 years ago, we ourselves worked on our PhD thesis on a new, unprecedented topic, but we have been at the time more knowledgeable than our seniors at the Department of History, Al-Azhar University; we never sought their help because they were ignoramuses. Our beginning from scratch has helped us build a pyramid of knowledge from which benefit until now. Hence, we advise you to do the same and exert your utmost efforts in research and looking for items you seek, if you really want to be a real researcher; otherwise, if you want to be among MA and PhD degrees holders who are indeed ignoramuses, we have nothing to do with that.     

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Wine, Again!

Published in March 29, 2010

Question: … Dear Sir, … I am not convinced that drinking wine is illegal in the Quran; one should only avoid it just before performing prayers and acts of worship; otherwise, one can consume it … I think lexicons would be of help in understanding Quranic terms in that topic … … … What do you think?  … Thank you.

Answer:

   Our dear brother,

 We have many times explained that we, Quranists, never use dictionaries or lexicons of the Arabic tongue to get to know meanings of Quranic terminology; we deduce these meanings within the Quranic local and wider contexts of the term as used in Quranic verses. Lexicons and dictionaries to which you refer have been written centuries after the revelation of the Quran, and they reflect intricate and complex development stages of the Arabic tongue, which have nothing to do with the Quranic tongue of the 7^th century Arabic. Besides, many words change its semantic levels of meanings. Hence, as per Quranists, linguistic, literary, and fiqh books cannot be used to interpret or decipher Quranic terminology at all. As for your question topic, we remind you that sharia/legislative verses in the Quran are clear enough and almost telegraphic, without metaphors/figures of speech of any type at all; thus, those who want to twist meanings of verses to legalize the illegal are distorting the Quranic sharia. Thank you, and may God guide you and us to His righteous path.

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The Leader

Published in December 25, 2016

Question: … How can I get books in print authored by the leader of Quranists, Dr. A. S. Mansour? In which bookshops are they available in Egypt?  Thank you …

Answer:

  Excuse us, we are no leader of any kind to any group; the only ''leader'' in the Middle East with this honorary title is the megastar/actor Adil Imam. No printed editions of our books are available; they are found only on our website and are downloadable (in Arabic) in PDF versions via this link:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/AhmedSubhyMansourBooks

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Videoed Friday Congregational Prayers

Published in December 31, 2016

Question: … Some of your foes spread YouTube videos to accuse Quranists of performing prayers in the wrong way, in order to vilify and undermine the Quranists and the Quranist school of thought? … Why don't you, dear Dr. Mansour, video the complete Friday congregational prayers in VA along with the sermon to debunk any falsehoods ascribed to undermine Quranists? Thank you …   

Answer:

 You suggestion of recording all the Friday congregational prayers in video is an excellent one; once we start producing videos in 2017 with our modest means, we will study how to apply your suggestion. As for our foes you mention who aim at tarnishing our name and reputation by ascribing falsehoods to us, let them do what they like; their lies and fabrications are proofs that they are a group of failures and that we, Quranists, are successful, as no one of these ignoramuses can refute and debunk Quranism: the true Islam.

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Prohibition Is the Right of God Only

Published in February 7, 2014

Question: … Dear Sir, … I agree wholeheartedly with you that religious singing is forbidden and prohibited as it mocks the Word of God and/or spread faulty notions about Islam especially deifying Muhammad… Yet, I tend to think that all types of singing are forbidden as well; they make people think of sexual love and desire and so on, … I base my view here on these Quranic verses: … … … What do you think? Thank you …   

Answer:

  Within real Islam (Quranism), prohibition is the right reserved to God only in the Quranic verses; a prohibited, forbidden, or illicit item/act should be mentioned as such explicitly and clearly in the Quranic text. In your question, you have decontextualized Quranic verses to assert your false view that singing and listening to songs might be forbidden. The Quran never mentions such a thing. Do not get carried away by your whims to force meanings never intended in the Quran. Acts, things, and items that are never mentioned at all in the Quran are legal and permitted; prohibited items are those mentioned as such in the Quran and you cannot add to them or minimize them. Please read, for example, our article (in English) on prohibited and permitted food items:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=13976

  By the way, we advise you to read all – and we mean really all – of our entire archive of books, fatwas, and articles in order to be a real Quranist researcher before you write anything. Not all amateur writers can be real authentic thinkers who come up with new ideas. Authors who are specialists read a lot before writings, and they are excellent interactive readers who read more than what they write.

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Masturbation

Published in February 11, 2013

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I am embarrassed to pose such a question, but can I go on masturbating and then atone or expatiate this sin later on by doing good deeds and acts of worship? I cannot help it; I am unable to get married because I am a poor youth … What is your opinion? 

Answer:

  Of course, you cannot go on sinning and atoning within endless cycle or vicious circle; you should stop once and for all. Masturbation is a sin but not a major one like fornication. Please read our previous fatwa on that topic.

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Do Not Weep and Cry

Published in July 27, 2011

Question: … I am a big fan of you and admire all your Quranist ideas … Yet, I begin to find what seems to me as contradictions in the Quran itself … I cannot refute Arab atheists' views I read online about undermining the Quran … I feel as if I am on the brink of losing faith, and I cry and weep myself to sleep. Any advice? …

Answer:

  Please, our son, do not weep and cry; instead, read our archive in its entirety (books, articles, fatwas, history researches, comments, etc.), and you will make sure that there are no contradictions at all in the Quran. what seems to you as contradictions are in fact found in the centuries-old Sunnite, Wahabi wrong understanding (or rather deliberate misinterpretations) of the Quranic verses. If you read the Quran according to its own terminology the way Quranists do, you will find that the Quranic verses explain one another. Please read and reread our entire archive and articles of our fellow Quranists on our website. God bless and guide you. 

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Why Quranists Differ

Published in September 21, 2012

Question: … I was about to convert to Quranism but I refrained … Most Quranists differ on lots of essential and secondary topics, such as follows … … … But they agree on many issues, such as follows … … … Why do not all Quranists agree on almost everything related to faith?! …   

Answer:

  We refer you to our articles about differences among Quranists and prohibition in the Quranic verses. We assert that all Quranists learn from the Quran itself and that we, ourselves, respect the young Quranists who disagree with us on certain topics. We are the first generation of Quranists that are minds engaged into dialogues and discussions; let the next generations of Quranist choose for themselves. It is normal and inevitable that people differ in essential and secondary issues and matters related to faith and beliefs. Satan and his devils are real and play their role in misguiding people; the Muhammadans for instance have deceived themselves by imagining unanimity on all topics; nothing could be further from the truth, as all their books are filled with contradictions. The only items they agree on are discarding and abandoning the Quran plus deification and sanctification of mortals, relics, and things. In contrast, Quranists are pioneers who use the Quran as a yard-stick or criterion to measure things, after centuries of ignorance and misguidance. It is expected that some details might be still disputed among Quranists on our website as they differ in cultural backgrounds. Please do not pose your questions about prayers or any other topic unless you read our entire archive of books and articles first; real Quranists are excellent readers.   

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Defending Copts

Published in September 27, 2008

Question: …  You have written that Copts have urged you to defend them … as if the Copts lack lawyers, HRW activists, and reasoning minds … This would have been humiliating to me if I were a Copt … 

Answer:

  Our daughter,

 Let us explain to you something very important; this is not a claim of ours, because indeed, most reasonable Coptic activists and leaders inside and outside Egypt stood by us and support us when we were in Egypt and they urged us to defend their cause. Now that we are in the USA, we find that some Copts are vying in fanaticism and extremism with Salafist Wahabis who want to burn Egypt. Those Coptic fanatics are in the safe haven of the West, and the weak ones endangered by the Mubarak regime and Wahabi terrorists in Egypt pay the price when Coptic fanatics in the West defame Egypt and Islam. It is normal that within the intellectual war of ideas, Coptic activists would enlist the help of specialists, like ourselves, to refute Wahabism and Wahabis, the enemies of Islam, from within Islam (Quranism), as Wahabi terrorist use the name of Islam to legitimize their crimes.          

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My Free American Girl!

Published in February 4, 2008

Question: … I am an Arab-American man who is trying to teach his only 16-year-old daughter chastity and Islamic virtues and values … Her mother (i.e., my wife) is a non-Arab non-Muslim American … My problem is that my daughter does not care about religion and has many boyfriends with whom she has sex regularly! What shall I do?!  Any advice? …

Answer:

  You cannot force her to give having boyfriends as the American laws and constitution support her and not you. In the American culture, one owns one's body to do with it whatever one likes, and despite laws against prostitution and rape, but promiscuity is still a problem everywhere, leading to STDs and many psychological and social problems. Muslim Arab-Americans face all this as they are brought up differently in their former homelands, and they get shocked to see their daughters, who are born and raised in the USA, commit fornication with many boyfriends. Some fathers commit bigger sins by trying to use violence against daughters to 'reform' them. We read many often about the crime of 'honor' killings. This problem should have been avoided if one should raise his daughter as a Muslim while explaining cultural differences and how Arab-Americans should adopt many American positive values and reject some others that are not compatible with Quran-believing people. the free American society in all cities allows ample room for respecting and practicing one's customs, traditions, religion, etc. Thus, a Muslim daughter must learn from her infancy to respect virginity and chastity as much as respecting others' right to led a promiscuous life. The problem can be solved via good, responsible, cautious upbringing, and NOT by bringing one's family to visit one's original homeland, where societies have become worse and have more negative aspects than those of the American one.               

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Future of Egypt

Published in May 13, 2013

Question: … What do you think now about the future of Egypt, amidst calls to make Egyptians revolt against the terrorist MB rule to depose the MB president … All media in Egypt show how the future is bleak and how religious fanatics terrorize people in streets … Is there any hope?!

Answer:

  We personally think that Egypt is on political crossroads: it will either suffer civil strife and be divided as western powers desire, or emerge and survive stronger than ever after defeating the terrorist MB and applying real democracy and discarding Wahabi theocracy. This future depends on the degree of awareness of the Egyptian people that seek change for the better. We have written many articles attacking the MB president who is a mere puppet. We trust that the silent vast majority in Egypt will take the initiative to oust this puppet so as to avoid the ruin of Egypt. God bless and save Egypt.          

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Answers Have Been Already Provided

Published in September 28, 2016

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … I wonder what the real name of Moses' Pharaoh was … Was he a Pharaoh or a Hyksos king? Did the Hyksos vanish once driven out of Egypt? … Are today's Copts the direct descendants of the Pharaohs? What about Egypt's Muslims of today? Can the Quran provide us with clues on these topics? Thank you …

Answer:

   We refer you to our books "Egypt in the Quran" and "The Characteristics of Egypt after the Arab Conquest", and you will find answers to your questions. Please read our archive of book and articles in its entirety before posing repeated questions whose answers have been already repeatedly provided.

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Unprecedented

Published in April 24, 2014

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … I live in Europe and I am currently writing my PhD thesis and we have included a chapter about your unprecedented intellectual endeavors of reform … Would you kindly tell me if you have been influenced by other contemporary reformist thinkers … especially in relation to how to define Islam, belief, disbelief, and other terms … Thank you …

Answer:

 You are welcome to pose any questions to us to help you in your PhD thesis chapter on Quranism. Let us assert to you that we have never been influenced by any contemporary thinker or reformer; we admire only the late M. Abdou, head of Al-Azhar who rejected Sunna and hadiths altogether and who died in 1905 before he could reform Al-Azhar, as he was opposed by his contemporaries. We adopt unprecedented methodology to understand the Quran by defining its terminology within its own context, without prior whim or prejudice, as explained in all our writings you have read. Without being vain or too proud, we have discovered from the Quran a lot of notions that no one else have discovered in the last 14 centuries. History will be fair to us as a thinker and reformist. Our definitions of the terms you mention differ from anyone's indeed. God bless you and guide you.   

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Three Thank-You Letters

Published in January 4, 2015

Question: …  message one: I would like to be permitted to express my gratitude to you … I am from Algeria and have been an atheist for years … I used to think that Islam is a violent religion that endangers humanity and human rights, but thanks to you, I know now that the Sunnite Wahabi religion is the veritable danger that the Quran is innocent of terrorism and injustices … I have one Quranist friend now in Algeria, whom I know recently, and he helped me regain faith and the belief in God through discussion of your articles and books, and I know now everything I need to know … May God reward and protect you, sir … message two: I'm from Morocco, and I should dearly love to thank you and thank those who are working with you as volunteers on your website for your enlightened thought and trend that made me get to know real Islam … I used to be an atheist because I used to think that Islam is a backward religion of the past that has nothing to do with modern times, but I have converted to Quranism a year ago … I love Islam now so dearly and take pride in being a Muslim … Thank you sir and god bless you … message three: I'm from Tunisia … No words can express what I feel when I have converted to Quranism … You are, sir, one of a kind, and no other Arab thinker may surpass you in the field of religious reform … I wish all Arab people would hear of you and from you as well as people worldwide to get to know real Islam (the Quran alone) and help combat Wahabis terrorism … God bless you sir …

Answer:

  We thank all of you, our dear fellow Quranists. We urge you to write on our website and to proselytize Quranism among your acquaintances in your cities to make as many people as possible get to know real Islam. We have published parts of these letters, as samples of many others, for two reasons: 1) we have published letters that verbally abuse us to assert that Muhammadans cannot refute Quranism and resort to verbal slander, and 2) we have to convey thanks addressed to volunteers and writers among our fellow Quranists on our website; they are real assets that made Quranism successful within cyberspace. God reward and bless all and each one of you.       

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Nonsensical Notion!

Published in January 7, 2012

Question: … Could you please tell me in light of Quranism if this traditional notion of ''converting to Islam remits previous sins of a convert'' is true or not? … Thank you …   

Answer:

 This notion is a nonsensical one, authored by Middle-Ages scholars and theologians that reflect overt, ostentatious religiosity. This vague, meaningless notion does not specify what Islam is: Is it peaceful dealings and behavior or faith/belief in the one God (monotheism) as per the Quran? The winners in the Hereafter are those who combine both meanings of Islam: submission to God alone and peaceful demeanor. We refer you to the verses about real believers in the Quranic Chapter 23, and our articles (in English) about meanings of Islam, peace, belief, disbelief, etc. on the following links:   

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=6674

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=14342

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=14282

 It is important that one repents before one's death from all sorts of sins and disobedience, by making amends to those that one has wronged and by doing many good acts and deeds to atone and expatiate one's sins. As for beliefs, one should adhere to the one basic tenet of (There is no God but Allah) by never sanctifying and deifying mortals (prophets and others) and items/things/locations as well as ancient books and by uttering 3:18 in all prayers as testimony, and we refer you to all articles in our archive for further details on that topic. Do not get disheartened when we assert Quranic facts and truths to you; this is instead of being misguided until it is too late. May God bless and guide you.