'Hypocrites' According to the Koran
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- Written by Jon MC
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Preface
The Koran has a lot to say about “hypocrites”. Muhammad and Allah are very troubled by both their existence and their activities. However the Koran is rather less forthcoming about the nature of the hypocrisy itself in many (though not all) cases. Thus, to find out the sort of attitudes and actions that cause the Koran to level the charge of hypocrisy against people we have to turn to other sources. Muslims have faced the similar problems in understanding many of the verses of the Koran. Consequently there are many commentaries (Tafseers) on the Koran which therefore address this and other problems. Muslim Authors (e.g. “H. Yahya”), though drawing on the same sources as I, seem to concentrate on the “characteristics” (all very bad) of the Hypocrites (to help Muslims identify them), rather than on what was the cause or nature of the “hypocrisy” in the first place.
Reflections on Muhammad’s Relations with Poets and Poetry
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- Written by Fine Living
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Introduction
For the Arabs before Muhammad, poetry assumed the front-seat in whatever they faced or suffered in life. Pagan Arabs used poetry in keeping records of their genealogy, their exploits, history of their wars, and their personal history. Poetry was a mirror that reflected their lives with all of its ups and downs. Also the Arabs used poetry to convey their wisdom and knowledge.
They divided their poetry in two styles, ''al manthur" and “al manzum”:
- al manthur: poetry that rhymes but has an unstructured style.
- al manzom : classical poetry with a rhymed structure. Arabs had great respect for and valued dearly classical poetry. Classical poetry had a great influence on people and their lives.
“al manthur” style of poetry had lesser value in their eyes due to its everyday use. It was more common. Their classical poetry was valued more because it was more structured and not everyone was able to master it.
Pagan Arab tribes used to take pride in talented poets that they produced. Other tribes praised that tribe for having such a talented person in their midst. When a child was born in the tribe, or a stallion was born, its poets acted as an armor for the tribe by keeping its pride and honor in record by composing great poetry. Other tribes would have to think twice before making the tribe of a great poet angry. This is due to their fear that that poet might say and write poetry against, or make fun of, them. This was no ordinary matter. The reputation of a tribe, whose name was muddied due to such poetry, needed years of mending. For the Arabs, rhythmic word was powerful. A great poet had a great status in his own tribe as well as the ones around them.
Was Prophet Muhammad an Assassin?
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- Written by Ibn Kammuna
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Introduction
In this article, I will investigate the question of whether Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was an assassin. Many critics of Islam have called Prophet Muhammad an assassin, but Muslims and defenders of Islam have firmly rejected that accusation interpreting the stories of Muhammad’s assassinations in a way that suits their position. In this reexamination of the accusation of Muhammad being an assassin, I will rely mostly on Hadith narrations. As there are Muslims who rejects hadiths, I will devote a section in this article to examine the question: Can Hadiths be trusted? And the article will end with a substantive conclusion.
Qur’an: In Search of the Miracles
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- Written by Ibn Kammuna
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Introduction
In the modern era, the Qur’an came under scrutiny through multiplicity of venues. For example, since this so-called divine book has many historical errors and scientific errors, it came under criticisms of historians and scientists. Linguistically the Qur’an fares equally poorly. It has substantial Arabic grammatical flaws and devout Muslims were forced to try to amend or explain those.
For those who can read Arabic, please watch this video about simple grammatical errors as well as contradictions in Sura Taha, verse 63 and Sura Ma’eda, verse 69, and Sura Cow, verse 62 and Sura Hajj and Nisa’, verse 62:
To clarify, the above video shows simple grammatical errors in the Qur’an that any adult Arab who got elementary schooling can see. It shows the same grammatical rule in the Qur’an done in a correct grammatical way in one instance, and in a wrong grammatical way in another, thus showing a grammatical error and a contradiction in the Qur’an as to its Application of the grammatical rules.
Imran Firasat: My Expulsion from Spain Gets Closer as Police Initiates Procedure
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- Written by Imran Firasat
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Yesterday I was stopped on the street by the police. As I have been on their radar, I am not sure if it was a routine random check or planned. They asked for my identification. I told them that my residence card has been taken away by the police, and showed them documents to prove that my appeal against the revocation of my refugee status is pending in the Supreme Court. I also explained to them that I will continue to be deemed a refugee until all my appeals are rejected.
Police officers told me that they do not care about my appeals. What they care is that I have no identification right now, and therefore, I am an illegal immigrant. I was arrested and taken to the police station. They initiated my expulsion procedure in a hurry and sent the file to the entire police and government database before my lawyer could intervene.