Refuting the So-Called 'Readings' of the Quranic Text

Published in April 26 & 28, 2020

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

PART I

Refuting the So-Called 'Readings' of the Quranic Text

Introduction:

1- The Egyptian Quranist friend of ours, Dr. Mustafa Ismail Hammad, is one of the main writers (in Arabic) on our Quranism website; we quote part of his email message sent to us which contains a very important question; this is followed by our reply.  

2- (... What about the Sunnite cherished notion of the so-called several 'readings' of the Quranic text?! ... I mean that it is said that diacritics (include dots which are put on some Arabic characters/letters) was a later-era invention; this means that the Quranic text written by Muhammad contained no letters with dots; this has opened the path of manipulating the Quranic text by within the notion of 'readings' while claiming that a letter/character was pronounced in a different manner in certain Quranic verses ........... This opens the path to different interpretations/exegeses if such letters/characters would be pronounced differently in some words while thinking they were the 'original' letters/characters! Changing letters/characters within such suppositions leads to a new words other than the ones we read in some Quranic verses...........What do you think, Dr. Mansour, of such madness which leads to undermining the doubting the Holy Quran?! ...).

OUR REPLY:

Firstly: refuting the existence of the so-called many 'readings' of the Quranic text:

1- The entirety of the Quranic text descended (or was revealed) into the soul/heart of Muhammad when he encountered the archangel Gabriel as per what we prove in our book, in English, titled "The Night-Journey Is The Night of Decree" (found on this link:   http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.phpmain_id=112 ). And then, Quranic verses were uttered intermittently by Muhammad who was inspired by the Lord God to utter them on certain occasions as per the situations and events at hand. When Muhammad was inspired by the Lord God to pronounce/utter certain Quranic verses, he sometimes would utter more verses rapidly from the ones inscribed in his soul/heart; hence, the Lord God has told him the following: "...Do not be hasty with the Quran before its inspiration to you is concluded, and say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”" (20:114). We notice here that the number of this Meccan Quranic verse is 114 which is the number of all Quranic Chapters; this indication came before the completion of the revelation/uttering/pronouncing of the entire Quranic text by Muhammad shortly before his death. Of course, there was no such a thing as 'readings' of the Holy Quran; Muhammad pronounced/read the Quranic text in one, unique way taught to him by the Lord God; this is inferred from the following Quranic context: "Do not wag your tongue with it, to hurry on with it. Upon Us is its collection and its reading. Then, when We have read it, follow its reading. Then upon Us is its explanation." (75:16-19). Of course, 75:16 explains 20:114. In addition, the context 75:16-19 indicates clearly that the Lord God provides one reading to the Quran and NOT several readings and Muhammad has been commanded to follow this one reading; the Lord God is the One Who has arranged the Quranic verses and the Quranic Chapters the way we see in today's copies of the Quran. Furthermore, the context 75:16-19 indicates clearly that the Lord God has undertaken the mission to explain the Quran; i.e., He has made the clear Quranic verses explain one another in a miraculous way; for instance 20:114 is explained by 75:16-19. By the way, the number (19) pertains to the numerical miracles of the Quranic text which are not fully explored yet by Quranist researchers. We emphasize here that the context 75:16-19 shows us that there is one, unique reading of the Quranic text and, therefore, one unique writing style and spelling of it. The Lord God says the following in the Holy Quran: "Those who reject the Reminder when it has come to them - it is an invincible Book. Falsehood cannot approach it, from before it or behind it. It is a revelation from One Wise and Praiseworthy." (41:41-42).   

2- As per the above point, the Sunnite silly notion of 'readings' is a tool of Quran-hating Arab and non-Arab Abbasid authors to warp, twist, and distort the meaning of Quranic verses; they fought against the Lord God's Word; they insisted on imposing their mythical, erroneous notion that their fiqh rules and their hadiths supplant/replace the Quranic verses which contain the Quranic sharia legislations. They propagated false ideas (including the so-called 'readings') to force the Quranic verses to accommodate their myths/lies/hadiths. This resulted in the intentional twisting, warping, and distorting of the meaning of Quranic verses in the books authored during the Abbasid Era and during later eras. Of course, the Quranic text is preserved by the Lord God Himself until the advent of the Hour before the Last Day; we use the Holy Quran as the Criterion to judge and refute all myths/lies invented by the Muhammadans.

3- The myth of the so-called 'readings' of the Quranic text aim at undermining and casting doubt on the Quran itself so that the masses would rely instead on lies known as hadiths and fiqh rules. One can find the notion of 'readings' in most of the silly books of interpretation/exegeses authored by the Muhammadans under the banner of the so-called (Quranic 'sciences'). We have written a lot previously about this topic.

Secondly: refuting the change of meaning of 7:156 by replacing an Arabic letter/character with another by removing diacritics/dots from it:

 Let us discuss the Quranic verse 7:156 mentioned in the above message to exemplify and show how changing even a single letter/character in one word in a Quranic verse (by removing dots/diacritics from it) distorts the meaning of any given Quranic verse. The Lord God says the following in the Holy Quran: "...He said, “My torment - I inflict it upon whomever I will..." (7:156). Within the myth of several 'readings' by changing a letter/character (by removing dots/diacritics from it) in the underlined part, the meaning will change into this (my torment – I inflict upon whoever sinned). This twisted, distorted meaning (i.e., making tormenting sinners in this world and/or the next a generality without exceptions even if sinners repented and atoned for their sins!) contradicts the Quranic facts about the mercy of the Lord God.

1- Not all sinners are tormented in this world once they have sinned; the Lord God gives them the time and chance to repent; otherwise, all human beings would deserve torment and death in this world; this does not occur because Judgment and torment of unrepentant sinners will be on the Last Day: "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 torment 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- The Lord God pardons much sins of those who deserve torment in this world: "Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned; and yet He pardons much." (42:30).

3- The Lord God pardons and forgives repentant people: "It is He who accepts the repentance of His worshipers, and remits the sins, and knows what you do." (42:25); "Repentance is available from God for those who commit evil out of ignorance, and then repent soon after. These - God will relent towards them. God is Knowing and Wise." (4:17); "Whoever commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores God for forgiveness, will find God Forgiving and Merciful." (4:110); "When those who believe in Our Verses come to you, say, “Peace be upon you, your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself. Whoever among you does wrong out of ignorance, and then repents afterwards and reforms - He is Forgiving and Merciful.”" (6:54); "But towards those who do wrongs in ignorance, and then repent afterwards and reform, your Lord thereafter is Forgiving and Merciful." (16:119); "But whoever has done wrong, and then substituted goodness in place of evil. I am Forgiving and Merciful." (27:11).

4- This is about the pious ones who deserve Paradise (including prophets/messengers of the Lord God): "They will have whatever they please with their Lord. Such is the reward for the charitable ones. God will acquit them of the worst of their deeds, and will reward them according to the best of what they used to do." (39:34-35). This means that on the Last Day, the Lord God will remit their sins.

Thirdly: In 7:156, we know more about the Divine Will and the human free will:

1- Being (mis)guided is an individual responsibility; you decide the fate of your soul (in the Hereafter) by your faith/belief and your deeds as per your own free will, and the Divine Will endorses and asserts what you have chosen for your soul in this world (faiths, beliefs and deeds) and in the next one (i.e., Hell or Paradise); hence, one chooses freely to be (mis)guided and the Dominant Lord God increases one's (mis)guidance: "“Insights have come to you from your Lord. Whoever sees, it is to the benefit of his soul; and whoever remains blind, it is to its detriment. I am not a guardian over you.”" (6:104); "Say, “O people, The truth has come to you from your Lord. Whoever accepts guidance is guided for his own soul; and whoever strays only strays to its detriment. I am not a guardian over you.”" (10:108); "Whoever is guided - is guided for his own soul. And whoever goes astray - goes astray to its detriment..." (17:15); "...He who is grateful, his gratitude is to his own credit; but he who is a disbeliever - my Lord is Independent and Generous.”" (27:40); "... Whoever is guided - is guided to his own advantage. And whoever goes astray, then say, “I am one of the warners.”" (27:92); "We sent down upon you the Book for the humankind in Truth. He who follows guidance does so for the good of his soul. And he who strays in error does so to its detriment. You are not their overseer." (39:41); "And say, “The Truth is from your Lord. Whoever wills - let him believe. And whoever wills - let him disbelieve”..." (18:29); "...He guides whoever is willing to be guided to a Straight Path.”" (2:142 + 2:213); "This is a reminder; so whoever wills, let him take a path to his Lord. Yet you cannot will, unless God wills. God is Knowing and Wise. He admits into His mercy whomever He wills. But as for the unjust ones, He has prepared for them a painful torment." (76:29-31); "It is only a Reminder to all humankind. To whoever of you wills to go straight. But you cannot will, unless God wills - The Lord of the worlds." (81:27-29).

2- Hence, Muhammad could never guide anyone who chooses misguidance; the Lord God has addressed the following to Muhammad: "You cannot guide whom you love, but God guides whoever is willing to be guided, and He knows best those who are guided." (28:56); "What of him whose evil deed was made attractive to him, and so he regards it as good? God leads astray whoever is willing to be misguided, and He guides whoever is willing to be guided. Therefore, do not waste yourself sorrowing over them. God knows exactly what they do." (35:8); "Their guidance is not your responsibility, but God guides whoever is willing to be guided..." (2:272).

Fourthly: torment is linked to one's will and free choice asserted and endorsed by the will of the Dominant Lord God:

 This means that since the Lord God increases the (mis)guidance chosen by each individual, those who choose misguidance choose torment in the Hereafter if they die without repentance; the Lord God will forgive those who choose and maintain guidance and repentance before their death; the Divine Will comes after the free human will to assert/endorse it; the Lord God says the following in the Holy Quran: "Say, “Whoever is in error, the Dominant Lord will lead him on.” Until, when they see what they were promised - either the torment, or the Hour. Then they will know who was in worse position and weaker in forces. God increases in guidance those who accept guidance. And the things that endure - the righteous deeds - have the best reward with your Lord, and the best outcome." (19:75-76); "...He torments those willing to be misguided, and He forgives those willing to be guided. And God is Capable of everything." (5:40); "...He torments those willing to be misguided, and He forgives those willing to be guided. To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, and to Him is the return." (5:18) "To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives those willing to be guided, and He torments those willing to be misguided. God is Forgiving and Merciful." (48:14); "He torments those willing to be misguided, and He grants mercy to those willing to be guided, and to Him you will be restored." (29:21). Muhammad has nothing to do with (mis)guiding others or with the Lord God's tormenting/forgiving anyone: "It is no concern of yours whether He redeems them or torments them. They are the unjust ones. To God belongs everything in the heavens and the earth. He forgives those willing to be guided, and He torments those willing to be misguided. God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." (3:128-129).

Fifthly: The Lord God's promise of Hell to disbelievers and of Paradise for pious believers:

1- The Lord God never breaks His promises: "...And who is more true to his promise than God?..." (9:111); "The promise of God - God never breaks His promise, but most people do not know." (30:6); "...The promise of God - God never breaks a promise." (39:20).

2- This is about His promise to all humanity: "To Him is your return, altogether. The promise of God is true. He originates creation, and then He repeats it, to reward those who believe and do good deeds with equity. As for those who disbelieve, for them is a drink of boiling water, and agonizing torment, on account of their disbelief." (10:4); "O people! Be conscious of your Lord, and dread a Day when no parent can avail his child, nor can a child avail his parent, in anything. The promise of God is true. Therefore, do not let this life deceive you, nor let illusions deceive you regarding God." (31:33); "O people! The promise of God is true; so let not the lowly life seduce you, and let not the Tempter tempt you away from God." (35:5); "What you are promised is true." (51:5).

3- This is about His promise of Paradise only to the pious human beings: "Dwelling therein forever. The promise of God is true. He is the Mighty, the Wise." (31:9); "Those are they from whom We accept the best of their deeds, and We overlook their misdeeds, among the dwellers of Paradise - the promise of truth which they are promised." (46:16); "But as for those who believe and do righteous deeds, We will admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will abide forever. The promise of God is true - and who is more truthful in speech than God?" (4:122); "This is what you were promised - for every careful penitent." (50:32).

4- This is about His promise of Hell to those who deserve it: "...On the Day when they witness what they are promised, it will seem as if they had lasted only for an hour of a day. A proclamation: Will any be destroyed except the sinful people?" (46:35); "So woe to those who disbelieve because of that Day of theirs which they are promised." (51:60); "Do not ever think that God will break His promise to His messengers. God is Strong, Able to Avenge." (14:47); "So be patient. The promise of God is true. And do not let those who lack certainty belittle you." (30:60).  

5- The focus in the above points is that one's own free will leads one either to Hell or to Paradise as per one's choices, faith/belief, and deeds. Hence, those who desire Paradise adhere to piety until they die; they adhere to the monotheism of (There is no God but Allah); they never deify/sanctify/revere any mortals/creatures by deeming them as gods/deities or saints/allies/intercessors. Of course, such pious monotheists never believe in any other hadiths/discourses alongside with the Holy Quran. Their piety drives them to adhere to justice; they never commit injustices against anyone; they perform many good deeds and repent readily and hastily if they commit sins. Hence, if they die as pious ones, they will enter into Paradise since the Lord God never breaks His promise.  

6- In light of the above, we can understand the Quranic phrase: "...He said, “My torment - I inflict it upon whomever I will..." (7:156).

Lastly: about the Quranic verse 21:112 mentioned in the above email message:

1- It comes in the local context of a dialog between Muhammad and the disbelievers among his people; we infer from 21:112 that the Lord God will settle their religious disputes on the Last Day: "We did not send you except as mercy to the humankind. Say, “It is revealed to me that your God is One God. Are you going to submit?” But if they turn away, say, “I have informed you sufficiently. Although I do not know whether what you are promised is near or far.” He knows what is said openly, and He knows what you conceal. “And I do not know whether it is perhaps a test for you, and an enjoyment for a while.” He said, “My Lord, judge with justice.” And, “Our Lord is the Dominant Lord, Whose help is sought against what you allege.”" (21:107-112).

2- The fact that the Lord God will settle all religious disputes among human beings on the Last Day is mentioned elsewhere in the Quranic text: "Say, “O my people! Work according to your ability, and so will I.” You will come to know to whom will belong the outcome of the Abode.” The unjust ones will not prevail." (6:135); "And say to those who do not believe, “Act according to your ability; and so will we.” “And wait; we too are waiting.”" (11:121-122); "And if you asked them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they would say, “God.” Say, “Have you seen those you pray to instead of God? If God willed any harm for me, can they lift His harm? And if He willed a blessing for me, can they hold back His mercy?” Say, “God suffices for me. On Him the reliant rely.” Say: “O my people, work according to your ability; and so will I. Then you will know. Who will receive a humiliating torment, and on whom will fall a lasting torment.”" (39:38-40).

PART II

Responding to the Comments on the Previous Article Titled (Refuting the So-Called 'Readings' of the Quranic Text)

 Dr. Mustafa Ismail Hammad is the very first Quranist member of our website to write a comment on our article:

(Dr. Mustafa Ismail Hammad: Of course, I have no doubts about the fact that the Holy Quran has one reading (ascribed during the Abbasid Era to the man named Hafs); I know every soul is responsible for its fate in the Hereafter. I totally comprehend what you have written about the Divine Will in relation to the human will; yet, I love to make sure of any notion from all angles and aspects so that I follow the example of our father Abraham: "...“Yes, but to put my heart at ease.”..." (2:260). Of course, there are many Quranic commands about resorting to the Lord God's Word, the Holy Quran, as the Criterion to judge anything by those who seek to adhere to justice; they never doubt the Justice of the Lord God or listen to devilish whispers; they never manipulate Quranic verses by assuming there are missing dots/diacritics in certain letters/characters in some words so that they purposefully change/distort the meaning of any Quranic verse. This is why I posed my question to you. The Lord God says in the Holy Quran: "We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Their gods, whom they invoked besides God, availed them nothing when the command of your Lord arrived. In fact, they added only to their ruin." (11:101). As always, the Lord God says nothing but the Absolute Truth.).

Our reply: firstly: often-forgotten facts:

1- The Quranic tongue is to be understood from within the Quran itself and not based on grammarians and lexicographers of the Arabic tongue who lived during the Abbasid Era like Hafs. In fact, the classical Arabic and modern Arabic rules of grammar, morphology, syntax...etc. have nothing to do with the Quranic tongue. Of course, all human beings are free agents and they choose to (dis)obey and to (disbelieve) and to either accept or reject the Quranic preaching addressed to them as free beings: "A warning to the mortals. To whomever among you wishes to advance, or regress. Every soul is hostage to what it has earned." (74:36-38). Hence, their deeds and faiths (chosen freely) decide their fate on the Last Day.

2- The Quranic preaching is thus based on the human free will. Sadly, most people in all eras reject the Quranic preaching/Reminder: "Why are they turning away from the Reminder? As though they were panicked donkeys. Fleeing from a lion?" (74:49-51). The Lord God's Divine Will endorses and asserts the will of (and choices made by) the human beings as free agents: "Nevertheless, it is a Reminder. So whoever wills, shall remember it. But whether they will remember or not, God's will endorses it. He is the Source of Righteousness, and the Source of Forgiveness." (74:54-56). This means that the Lord God approves of the stance of those who willingly (dis)obey and (dis)believe in the Quranic Reminder; their choices will result in their fate in the Hereafter.

3- We repeat: the Arabic grammar has nothing to do with pondering the Quranic text; we ponder the Quran from within its verses and their contexts in the way (i.e., Quranist research) we do within our articles about Quranic terminology; i.e., grouping all verses containing the same notion or term under study and deciding upon the similar verses and the definitive one: "It is He who revealed to you the Book. Some of its verses are definitive; they are the foundation of the Book, and others are similar. As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow the similar part, seeking dissent, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none knows its interpretation except God and those firmly rooted in knowledge say, “We believe in it; all is from our Lord.” But none recollects except those with understanding." (3:7). See our book, in English, titled (How to Understand the Holy Quran) found on this link:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=121 

See also our two articles in English exemplifying the Quranist research methodology found on these two links:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16303

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16993

and, of course, you can see our English articles titled Quranic terminology on our page here:   http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/profile.php?main_id=1

Secondly: exemplifying the difference between the Quranic tongue and the grammar and semantics of the Arabic tongue:

 We have said before in previous videos and articles that the past tense in the Quranic verses about the Last Day indicates the future and inevitable events. We also prove that the pronoun (He) referring to Allah is not about an absent being but the Omnipresent Lord God. We prove that possessive pronouns in the Quranic text referring to God (e.g., my God, our Lord) indicates that the Lord God the Creator owns us and not we Him. The directives in Quranic prayers/supplications are NOT commands issued by supplicants to Allah; rather, they supplicate and pray within submission and humility: "...Among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” yet he has no share in the Hereafter. And among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us goodness in this world, and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.”" (2:200-201); in light of this, we understand the following: "He said, “My Lord, judge with justice.” And, “Our Lord is the Dominant Lord, Whose help is sought against what you allege.”" (21:112).

Lastly:

 The Creator of the universe is the Lord God and His Word is the Holy Quran to which we resort as the Criterion to judge anything; we thus cannot resort to Hafs or other grammarians and theologians (esp. writers of the so-called exegeses) of the Abbasid Era whose books are filled with nothing but myths and nonsense aiming to undermine and cast doubt on the Holy Quran.

 Mr. Zachariah Al-Maghraby wrote the following comment:

 (Having read this brilliant article, I now come to think that the Divine Will of the Lord God is justice; this is why human beings are created free agents to choose. There are no intercessors or any type of intercession on the Last Day; the Divine Justice will make those who deserve Hell enter into it and those who deserve Paradise enter into it; this is as per their deeds and faiths; no one can revoke the decision of the Lord God or take part in making it.).

Our reply: We agree with your view. We refer readers to these two English articles of ours:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=17442

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=18302

Mr. Ben Levante wrote the following comment:

 (It has been so long since I wrote my last comment within any of the articles of dear Dr. Mansour. I admire very much your series of articles about big criminals who are tyrants and clergymen; despite the bad aspects of the Mameluke Era shown in these articles, I love to emphasize the fact that the Mameluke sultans were also brave warriors who defended Egypt against many invaders and conquerors. The present of Egypt now is worse than its past, as per political articles of Dr. Mansour. My first visit to Egypt included a Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan and back; I was fascinated by Pharaonic monuments, temples, obelisks, and edifices (this indicate that thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians must have reached a higher level of technology and knowledge, I suppose); the Egyptians I have met were friendly though some were so troublesome in their insistence that I and other tourists would buy their simple, hand-made wares and souvenirs. Anyway, enough with my digressing; I have my own pondering on the Quranic phrase "...He said, “My torment - I inflict it upon whomever I will..." (7:156) and I would like to share it here. It is about the Divine Will of the Lord God. In my own view, nothing can happen on earth and in the universe except through permission of the Lord God; this does not contradict the free will of human beings; yet, the options left to them are also allowed by the Lord God within his Divine Will as free agents; this freedom is the basis of the Judgment in the Hereafter. Hence, 7:175 is all about the Divine Will to forgive or torment (the two options are up to Allah), and the Lord God is never unjust to human beings. Thank you.).

Our reply:

1- We missed your comments, our dear brother, Mr. Ben Levante, since they are very useful to our person whether we agree with them or not; of course, you know that our writings are ascribed to our person and no one is infallible; we welcome all kinds of feedback and corrections.

2- Of course, the Mameluke sultans were tyrants but they were excellent military leaders who defended Egypt and left excellent monuments/mosques/edifices (though not as fascinating as the Pharaonic ones), in contrast to the military regime now in Egypt which is a failure and its military generals are incompetent. The Egyptian people, past and present, have mostly submitted to any rulers; the worst rulers who brought more obscurantism and backwardness to Egypt were the Ottomans; the West powers never allowed good rulers to introduce renaissance to Egypt (we mean the enlightened Khedive Ismail); the worst period in Egypt is its today's military rule which has begun by the 1952 coup d'état; the Egyptians have experienced deterioration in all levels (social, political, economic, cultural,...etc.) except for those who immigrated to the West countries and the Gulf monarchies.  

3- The human soul is the driver or controller of the human body but it does NOT own it; the Lord God created human souls as free agents; yet, souls cannot control the functions of the liver, kidneys, heart, ...etc. of the human body. The Omniscient Lord God will judge souls as per their choices made; He forgives unintentional mistakes,  sins committed within oblivion or forgetting by people, and also sins committed while being forced. More details can be found in our English book titled (Each Human Soul Has Two Bodies), found on the following link:

http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=171

 Mr. Saeed Ali wrote the following comment:

 (I just love the way Quranist link seemingly unrelated topics to one another in a very logical, convincing way; I missed very much the informative comments of Mr. Ben Levante which enrich the articles of Dr. Mansour and provide more thought-provoking material; I would like to be able to meet with Mr. Ben Levante when I visit Germany this summer. Thank you.).

Our reply: thank you our dear son, Mr. Saeed Ali, for your comment.

 Mr. Omar Ali Mohamed wrote the following comment:

 (I would like to add that when I used to listen to reciters/singers of the Quran before I know that this singing it is a grave sin (and so is listening to it being sung), I felt that singing several verses in different tunes do add to changing/distorting their meanings. For instance, supplications are made to appear as demanding commands/directives instead; verses about Hell is made to appear 'mild' and not decisive!... Thank God for guiding me to Quranism as the Only True Islam.).

Our reply: We admire this comment by our dear son, Mr. Omar Ali Mohamed, and in our pervious writings, we prove how singing the Quranic verses is a grave sin and a bad habit which began during the Mameluke Era.

 Dr. Mustafa Ismail Hammad wrote the following comment to Mr. Ben Levante:

 (I assert to our dear brother, Mr. Ben Levante, that we miss his enlightened views and brilliant, thought-provoking comments. I assure him that may writers in the West prove in their books that the Pharaonic civilization is the source of all technology and scientific advancement; many non-Egyptian people (e.g. Greeks and Romans) stole such secrets of Ancient Egyptian wisdom, philosophy, and knowledge and ascribed them to themselves; this theft continues to occur by the white man in Europe and the West in general. please read the book titled (Stolen Legacy) by the American historian George G. M. James who authored it in 1954. The Pharaonic civilization is the mother/source of all civilizations worldwide; I assert this fact, as an Egyptian man, without being a chauvinist. As for 7:175, I do believe that the Lord God will torment, as per His Divine Will, those who deserve this as per their misdeeds, sins, and polytheism. Likewise, He will pardon those who deserve this and will make them, through His mercy, enter into Paradise as per His Divine Will. Of course, I assert to dear Mr. Omar Ali Mohamed that directives in the Quranic text are not demanding commands; this is inferred from the context and the addresser(s) and the addressee(s).All supplications are to be pronounced humbly and piously within the fear of the Lord God. May the Lord God pardon us and guide all of us to the Straight Path.).

Mr. Mohannad Abou Jaber wrote the following comment:

 (Of course, the Lord God predicts the sin of singing the Quranic verses and how it changes/distorts their meanings; this prediction is found here: And among them are those who twist the Scripture with their tongues, that you may think it from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture. And they say, “It is from God,” when it is not from God. They tell lies and attribute them to God, knowingly. (3:78).).

Our reply: We admire very much and agree with this brilliant comment by our dear son, Mr. Mohannad Abou Jaber.

Lastly:

 We would like to thank all commentators who are our dear fellow Quranists; we wish them many happy returns of Ramadan: the month of both fasting and the Holy Quran.