Allah's Test is Unjust

This post discusses the trial of Allah, the testing of humanity and considers how fair it is and if it makes any sense in reality.

Muslims are taught to see life as a test where, from puberty to the moment they die, they are constantly under the scrutiny and watchful eye of a god who demands complete obedience from his slaves at risk of divine disapproval and punishment. The all-seeing eye of god is ever-watchful and every action, however slight, will be considered and judged in the hereafter. Nothing is hidden from the sight of god and there are torments and humiliation awaiting the sinner after they die. Muslims live in a constant state of fear and oppression and check themselves before they do anything. Sometimes, this leads to a form of paralysis where they reach the conclusion that it is better to do nothing than to risk angering god. Of course, Muslims find ways to live under this constant, debilitating state of terror, but we will not be studying the psychology of the faithful believer in this article. The purpose of mentioning these things is to help the reader understand how Muslims think and know some of the burdens Muslim carry before analysing why they are willing to bear this weight on their backs. We will now analyse the Islamic concept of the grand test of life.

In the Qur'an, Allah informs the believers:

[29.2] Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried?
[29.3] And certainly We tried those before them, so Allah will certainly know those who are true and He will certainly know the liars.
[2.155] And We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits; and give good news to the patient...
[3.186] You shall certainly be tried respecting your wealth and your souls...

He informs them that they will be tested with all kinds of "tests", including loss of wealth, livestock, health and lives, but you may ask for what purpose or object? Well, the Qur'an explains:

[29.7] And (as for) those who believe and do good, We will most certainly do away with their evil deeds and We will most certainly reward them the best of what they did.
[2.157] Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord...
[3.185] Every soul shall taste of death, and you shall only be paid fully your reward on the resurrection day; then whoever is removed far away from the fire and is made to enter the garden he indeed has attained the object; and the life of this world is nothing but a provision of vanities.
[3.200] O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful.

Here Allah, continuing on from the verses shown before, states clearly that those who remain obedient, patient and believing in god will be compensated for their suffering by way of removal of evil deeds and rewards for their patience. And ultimately, Allah promises the believers they will enter heaven's gardens. In fact, the Qur'an describes the attainment of the garden as the object, or purpose of this grand struggle that is life. The conditions for attaining this ultimate goal is patience, obedience and belief.

So far, so good. My Muslim readers will be very familiar with these fundamental concepts of their religion and see no problem in them. But I ask the reader to pay close attention to the following series of paragraphs in which I deconstruct the purpose of Allah's "test" by way of analysing the logical contradiction of the fairness or justness of his system.

There are three fundamental problems with Allah's test:

1. Eternal heaven and eternal hell is not just.
2. Not all people are tested.
3. The judgement of Allah is biased towards believers.

1. Eternal Heaven And Eternal Hell

We start off with the end result of Allah's test - the reward or punishment. This is because it raises most questions from people. Even very young children wonder about the fairness of the judgement of Allah when they learn about it at school or from their parents. They ask: How is it fair of god to let some people enjoy heaven forever and some other people suffer in hell forever when they only lived a limited number of years?

What they are trying to point out is that humans only live a few years on Earth and commit a limited number of good deeds or sins. This is a limited time period, yet the punishment or reward lasts forever, an infinitely long time. This does not seem right.

One of the main answers Muslims give is: Allah knows that if the person lived forever he would continue being evil or good forever.

So, what then about a person who potentially could have lived a thousand years in which they committed many evils and harmed many people and only in their final year believed and become good, but because they had a normal lifespan they died in unbelief? Will god then enter this person into heaven because he knows his potential end? This just shows the invalidity of that answer.

Then what about converts to Islam? They could have committed many evil deeds in their life, be pretty bad people and remain so even after they accept Islam, but their slate is wiped and all their past sins are forgiven by god! And when they die they will enter heaven! How does this seem fair to anyone who isn't a convert? Many Muslims struggle to understand this belief of Islam because they recognise that they are being short-changed.

And then there is the points-based system of acceptance into heaven or hell. God presents this as good-deeds tokens being weighed on a weighing scale:

[101.6] Then as for him whose measure of good deeds is heavy,
[101.7] He shall live a pleasant life.
[101.8] And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light,
[101.9] His abode shall be the abyss.
[101.10] And what will make you know what it is?
[101.11] A burning fire.

This is a simplistic and immoral system that means bad actions are not punished as long as a person accrues just enough tokens to get into heaven. And likewise, good deeds are not rewarded when a person does not manage to get enough tokens and enters hell because of this deficit.

Logically, it is unjustified and unethical to punish or reward anyone for eternity and especially if judgement is made on a points-based system. The case in point: if Allah is indeed fair, then heaven and hell would be temporary and allotted based on actions, not on the overall score of a person or based on their beliefs. If god was truly fair, he would not judge people by their faith first and then their actions - people would be treated equally regardless. A person would be rewarded for the good they did and punished for the evil they did. And these punishments or blessings would not last forever. They would last as long as the quality or quantity of their actions justified. That would be more just!

2. Not All People Are Tested

Here I will describe why Allah's test is unfair due to not everyone being tested. First I start with some preamble to give some context to the argument:

A non-Muslim, or a Muslim who backslides or sins, will enter hell. But, the unbeliever will stay in hell for eternity. As for the believer, he is promised eternal heaven. How does a person enter hell? They disbelieve in god, practice polytheism or, if they are believers, they disobey god. How does a person enter heaven? They believe in god, worship and obey him. What is the purpose of life? For people to be tested and tried to identify if they are deserving of heaven or hell.

Now that we have reiterated these fundamentals of Islamic theology, I ask one more question: Do all babies and young children go to heaven if they die?

Many Muslims will immediately answer: Yes, of course they go to heaven! This is an emotional response. But, actually, scholars are divided on the question! Some Muslims say that it depends on the religion of the parents and some Muslims believe babies can and do go to hell regardless of their parent's religion! This is because the hadiths, the sayings of prophet Muhammed, state different things. There is a permeating logical fallacy concerning these responses so I will go through each one of them.

No, babies can go to hell: This might seem like an absurd point of view. (It is!) But some Muslims who follow the traditional Sunni Ash'ari school of thought, believe that Allah has ordained the fate of every individual and puts people in heaven or hell, not based on how they do in god's test here on Earth, but by how they would have behaved had they lived a full life.

The Prophet Muhammed was asked about the children of the polytheists, if they go to heaven or hell when they die, and he said, "Allah knows best what they would have done." [Sahih Bukhari: 1383, Sahih Muslim: 2660]

He implies that their judgement is preordained, regardless if they died before their time. But how can this be when the whole purpose of life according to Islam is to test people? Yet, Muslims of this ilk believe everything is already planned, predestined, and every outcome precomputed - that life as we know it is just a play, a charade, a meaningless simulation. God doesn't need to run the simulation to its completion because he already knows the end result, so he is justified in throwing innocent babies, potential adults, into hell as he knows they are evil before they act on their programming. The problem with this is it makes the whole point of life, the time and effort Allah says he put into creation, everything that ever happened or will happen, valueless and meaningless. Also, a virtual simulation cannot be compared to a product of reality and it would be unjust to allow one person to suffer this world, experience everything good and bad, and then deny the infant any knowledge or experience of good and bad, but throw them both into the same hell because of what the infant could have done. It is an absurdity.

There is a branch of Ash'ari Sunni Islam, and also amongst some followers of non-Ash'ari Sunni Islam, that believe that babies of Muslims die on the same religion of their parents and are therefore automatically granted heaven. And similarly, the baby born of a polytheist or non-believer goes to hell because they inherit their parent's religion! My point against them and their ridiculous bias is: for what sin was a baby born to a disbeliever that he should suffer hell because of it?! And religion is not inherited like biological traits! I say to them, if what you say is right and you claim that god is indeed most merciful, then he should only let Muslim parents miscarry and their children die because they would instantly go to heaven. Is this not more merciful? But we know deaths happen to children of believers and non-believers alike. I implore the Muslims to rethink their position on treating children of believers and non-believers differently, especially since it contradicts their notion of "fitrah".

Yes, all babies go to heaven: I would say the majority of Muslims believe this. There is a very well known narration that states that children of believers and non-believers go to paradise where they are loved and taken care of by prophet Abraham:

The prophet Muhammed was interpreting the dream of one of his companions: "The tall man whom you saw in the garden, is Abraham and the children around him are those children who die with Al-Fitra (the Islamic Faith)."; The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, "O Allah's Apostle! What about the children of pagans?" The Prophet replied, "And also the children of pagans."
[Sahih Bukhari, Book 87, Volume 9, Number 171]

This sounds delightful and comforting. But there is a logical fallacy. Put aside your emotions and think about this - What would have happened if these children had grown up? That's right, they would have become adults, been tested, and some of them would have believed and gone to heaven, while others would have disbelieved and gone to hell! Is it fair that these children go to paradise without being tested while we who are unlucky enough to survive into puberty be tested? Then we sin and disbelieve and enter hell forever, while those infants enjoy paradise forever? Does this seem fair to you?

Indeed, the logical fallacy in both cases, whether the baby goes to hell or heaven, is that it bypasses the whole test of Allah on Earth. This presents a clear-cut example of how Allah's test is unfair because not all people are tested and are potentially rewarded or punished without taking the test! This is unfair to everyone who takes the test. The test therefore becomes meaningless. Let us not go into the fact that different environmental conditions affect our actions and beliefs - our parents determine our initial religion (if any); society dictates what is deemed good or bad; we have limited education and intelligence - some significantly more than others; we suffer poverty or enjoy affluence; and our mental health and physical state all play a part in shaping who we are, what we believe and how we behave. In this world, we are not tested equally, nor are we judged equally as I describe in the next section.

3. Bias in Judgement

It is made clear in the Qur'an that Allah only wishes people to believe in him and be patient and obedient in suffering. But the unbeliever will suffer and not be recompensed and instead they will enter hell. In Allah's grand scheme of things, the trials and tribulations, sufferings and every good act performed by a non-believer amount to nothing. The life of the unbeliever means nothing to god no matter how many good things they did. They could have saved so many lives, invented new technology beneficial to mankind or prevented great evils being committed, but god does not care because he expects faith first and foremost before good deeds. If a person has rejected Islam, then Allah will cast them into hell fire. Only Muslims and believers in Christianity and Judaism before Islam are deserving of heaven in the eyes of Allah.
A Muslim may argue with me now and say that is not correct. They will say that Allah is just and does not do anyone the smallest injustice, not even to the weight of an atom (Qur'an 4:40), and considers all things on judgement day and is fair with all people. The Muslim may quote a verse such as:

[40.40] Whoever does an evil, he shall not be recompensed (with aught) but the like of it, and whoever does good, whether male or female, and he is a believer, these shall enter the garden, in which they shall be given sustenance without measure.

In response I will explain that the context of this verse is Moses preaching to the Israelites, his flock of believers, and not a general statement about all humans including non-believers. In fact the verse emphasises the condition that the person must be a believer. This promise is not extended to unbelievers.

But then the Muslim will come back with this verse in an attempt to show that god is a fair judge:

[17.15] Whoever goes aright, for his own soul does he go aright; and whoever goes astray, to its detriment only does he go astray: nor can the bearer of a burden bear the burden of another, nor do We chastise until We raise an apostle.

From verse 17.15 it appears that people will only be punished if they have been sent a prophet or someone to guide them but they reject him. It appears to state that people are not going to be punished unless they have been sent a messenger from god. However, there is something inherently wrong with the statements of this verse because I would expect a good god to punish people for their evil actions and reward them for their good actions even before a prophet had come to them and whether or not they believed or disbelieved in god or his prophets. This is because deeds can be objectively seen as good or bad and if we can recognise that then we should expect god to and judge people fairly. This imbalance is emphasised in the same verse when it suggests that the only benefit or detriment for having committed good and bad deeds is to one's own soul and there will be no chastisement afterwards because a prophet was not sent to them yet. So the verse, instead of showing that god is fair and just, shows that he is neither fair nor just. It says that if an unbeliever did good, they get their reward on Earth and receive no heavenly reward and also if he did something evil, he does not get punishment in the hereafter. This contradicts the claims of Muslims about what they say their religion teaches and what it says about the justness of god.

I will clarify the stance of Allah using other verses from the Qur'an, clearer verses that contradict the Muslim's high image of god's apparent justice:

[18.103] Say: Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in (their) deeds?
[18.104] (These are) they whose labour is lost in this world's life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands.
[18.105] These are they who disbelieve in the communications of their Lord and His meeting, so their deeds become null, and therefore We will not set up a balance for them on the day of resurrection.
[18.106] Thus it is that their recompense is hell, because they disbelieved and held My communications and My apostles in mockery.

So it should be clear now that by the will of Allah, all labour or good works of a disbeliever are lost and Allah will not consider even them! In fact, he says he will cast them into hell fire without fair trial, judgement or consideration! How can god call himself fair and just, or even beneficent and merciful (Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem) when he shows fairness only to believers? Even the most mean of human beings will show more compassion and fairness than Allah who is ready to impose eternal punishment on good people only because they disbelieved. A fair judge would give every person a fair trial. So let me now ask you: Is Allah truly "the greatest judge" (Qur'an 34:26)? Does Allah truly "not do injustice to the weight of an atom" (Qur'an 4:40)?

Conclusion

So we have seen that the whole idea of a divine test here on Earth is not logical. Firstly, we explained the ethical contradiction of the idea of eternal heaven and eternal hell because eternity is not a fitting time period for rewards and punishments for a limited life. And we stated that the allocation of heaven or hell based on  the number of points a person accrues is not sensible because it ignores the good things and bad things they did. Secondly, we saw that Allah does not test everyone, so this is unfair to everyone being tested. And finally, we showed that Allah is not a fair and impartial judge because he treats believers with fairness and compassion and unbelievers harshly and with no compassion.

I imagine, you the reader, as a normal human being with a sense of compassion and justice, recognise that "the reward of goodness is naught but goodness" (Qur'an 55:60). However, Allah sees things differently and is biased so offers this reward only to people who believe in him. This negates his goodness because he does evil to some and favours some and does not judge everyone equally. We deduce that fairness and morality, as understood by Allah, are inconsistent with objective notions of justice and impartiality.

I wonder if Muslims are able to recognise the folly of worshipping a god who claims to be good, just and merciful but contradicts his own claims because he bears such a huge grudge against those who disbelieve in him? If you, as a Muslim, believe the premise that "an essential attribute of god is his goodness", then, once you read the verses above showing you that god is unjust, the only conclusion you can arrive to is one of these two: 1. "God is not all good", or 2. "Allah cannot be god".

So it is clear in Islam that god does not judge by the good deeds of people equally. First, he judges a person by their faith and if they pass that condition, he considers the rest of their actions. The absurdity of this is that a Muslim who did nothing worthwhile or beneficial in their whole lifetime and even committed sins will go to heaven and enjoy eternal bliss, and a non-Muslim who did mostly good and excelled to benefit thousands of people's lives will suffer eternal hell. The teachings of Islam present with faulty theological reasoning that contradict the goodness and fairness of its own god.

Drinking Urine in Islam

Those who are versed in the hadith literature may be familiar with one of the many amazing recommendations for treating illnesses. It is a natural remedy that is easy to come by... in fact, most people make this valuable golden elixir daily and in abundance... it is urine!! Yes, urine, and the best urine to drink is camel urine! According to Islam, drinking urine is a beneficial treatment for illness.

I'm sorry for making you feel sick. I apologise in advance for the next few paragraphs which will make you feel even worse...

The most famous hadith for this amazing medicinal treatment is this one:

Narrated Abu Qilaba: "Anas said, "Some people of 'Ukl or 'Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit them [i.e. they felt unwell]. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away all the camels. The news reached the Prophet early in the morning and he sent (men) in their pursuit and they were captured and brought at noon. He then ordered to cut their hands and feet (and it was done) [see Qur'an 5:33], and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron [contradicting Qur'an 5:45], They were put in 'Al-Harra' and when they asked for water, no water was given to them." Abu Qilaba said, "Those people committed theft and murder, became infidels after embracing Islam and fought against Allah and His Apostle." [Sahih Bukhari, Ch: Ablutions (Wudu'), Volume 1, Book 4, Number 234]

If we look past the barbaric and violent torture and inhumane treatment of the psychopathic criminals by their deranged punishers, we can see that the prophet Muhammed recommended to some people to drink camel milk and urine to cure their illness. It is clear they didn't have any determinate illness, but just felt a little 'under the weather' and perhaps they had a touch of cold or flu. So, the prophet being the most knowledgeable man in the universe and having direct contact with god who is all-knowing in medicine of the past and future and in chemistry, and who knows better about treatment for humans than their creator? The omnipotent creator could have recommended eating some herb or plant that he had created to benefit humanity, but instead he recommended drinking foul-smelling, foul-tasting, salty, vile and unhealthy urine from a camel!

If you are a Shia Muslim you will likely reject this hadith because you do not trust the source and also you might reject the premise that the prophet was so violent. But drinking urine is present in Shia books too! I used to think drinking of urine was found only in Sunni hadith collections, but it's a concept present in Islamic teachings from both camps and references to urinotherapy are found in different books from both Shia and Sunni schools of thought, and from different periods, narrated by different people quoting prophet Muhammed and the Imams. I present a few quotes from the book Islamic Medical Wisdom: The Tibb Al-A'imma (The Medicine of the Imams), a collection of medical 'wisdom' from the Imams taken from Shia hadith books. I recommend anyone with even a basic understanding of modern medicine to look at the nonsense presented in the book.

Excerpt from page 73:

"Abu 'Abd Allah al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said to me concerning a man who had an illness and was instructed to drink urine (al-bawl): "He should not drink it." I said: "He is compelled to drink it." He [al-Sadiq] replied: "If he is compelled to drink it and finds no medicine for his illness, then let him drink his own urine. As for the urine of others, no.""

So Imam Jafar al-Sadiq is saying you should find medicine instead of drinking urine, but if there is no other medicine then urine should have medical benefit however you should make sure to only drink your own urine! He doesn't try to identify the illness and make a recommendation for it. Instead of saying urine has no medical benefit or suggesting some alternative treatment or inventing a modern medical cure, we find the Imam recognising the medical ignorance of his time. One the same page you see he even calls wine impure (khabitha) and does not say that about foul urine!

Excerpt from page 74:

"Sama'a bin Mihran said: "I asked Abu 'Abd Allah, peace be upon him, about a person drinking the urine of camels, cattle, and sheep, suggested to him for pain, and if it were permissible to drink it. He replied 'Yes, there is no objection to it.'"

And here the Imam confirms that drinking urine from camels, cows or sheep is a good medical treatment for "pain". Of course there could be a thousand reasons why someone could be in pain but instead of finding out what the real illness is, he just confirms that urine, which lacks healing or pain-killing substances, is a suitable treatment!

Some Shia will now say that this is just some weak hadiths from a random book and ignore it. But you can't ignore it because this message of drinking urine is found in books from Shia and Sunni sources, quoting different narrators and spanning hundreds of years between them, all confirming each other. So, what do Shia scholars say? The highest scholar in Shia Islam alive today, Ayatollah Ali Sistani says¹:

2636. It is haraam [forbidden] to drink the urine of all haraam animals, and also of those whose meat is halal to eat, including, as an obligatory precaution, that of a camel. However, the urine of a camel, a cow or a sheep can be consumed, if recommended for any medical treatment.

So you can see that even he confirms it! Is this not embarrassing?

There is a need to describe what urine is because having mentioned this subject to Muslims, I have observed that they are ignorant of basic chemistry and physiology such that they are willing to imagine that there is some chemical present in urine in such a significant concentration and of high efficacy that it could possibly be beneficial when ingested! Urine contains mostly water, salts and urea, a waste product of human metabolism along with hundreds of other proteins, chemicals and minerals in trace amounts. Urine is ejected from the body as a medium for carrying waste products out of the body. These must be removed because they are toxic and their accumulation in the body can cause disease and ultimately death. Some of them are toxic by way of increasing blood pH levels causing essential reactions to stop. Other chemicals interfere with necessary life processes such as the transfer of ions in and out of cells and will induce disease or dysfunction until death. Still further, some chemicals cause serious cell damage and cell death if they accumulate, resulting in organ failure and a rapid death. The liver is the primary organ that is responsible for detoxifying chemicals and by-products of metabolism present in the blood. It does this mainly by conjugating chemicals together to inactivate them and make them less dangerous and more water soluble. One of the most prominent waste products of metabolism in the body is ammonia which is alkaline and would raise the blood pH level dangerously if the liver didn't convert it to water-soluble urea which is far less alkaline and toxic. Blood passing through the kidney is filtered of urea, excess salts and various toxins. The filtered liquid is accumulated and concentrated in the bladder increasing in toxicity and saltiness and when the bladder is somewhat full, the micturition reflex takes place and the urine passes down the urethra to the outside world.

It is a common myth that urine is completely sterile (free from bacteria and germs). In fact the renal pathway is lined with friendly bacteria and a few of these are sloughed off into the urine when it flows out. It generally has few bacteria but it may carry some undefined risks - some people/animals have bladder or urinary-tract infections and these bacteria/fungi will come out in the urine too. Then there are people/animals harbouring sexually transmitted diseases such as ghonorrhea and these too will pass out with the urine. There are even different kinds of parasites such as schistosomes that exit out through they urinary tract. So already you can see, it is not particularly hygienic and could potentially be dangerous leading to further infections and diseases.

Then there is the problem of re-ingesting toxins that the body is trying to remove. The body is removing poisons and waste products from the body in urine, so it makes sense to avoid drinking it. An obvious problem appears with drugs or chemicals like arsenic, a poisonous metal present in some underground water sources, including the holy zamzam well in Makkah. The arsenic or drug initially removed in the urine is reabsorbed again and increases the level already present in the body, causing it to become increasingly concentrated and more likely to cause harm.

The concentration of chemicals in urine tends to be low and it is only with repeat urinotherapy sessions do the levels of some chemicals start to rise to the level they illicit a physiological effect. But with potentially 'beneficial' chemicals comes a lot of salts and urea and other chemicals that are either harmful or do not do us any good at all. The proponents of using urine for medical treatment claim that it can cure all matter of diseases from skin rashes, to colds, to joint pain to serious disease like cancer, but these have not been proven. They exaggerate any potential benefit and ignore the harm it may cause. Furthermore they do not know by what mechanism it operates and they treat urine as some kind of magical liquid that is a cure-all, a panacea, for all diseases, which it couldn't possibly be. Urine cannot treat any disease. Whatever beneficial chemicals that can be obtained from urine are found elsewhere in abundance, can be extracted from urine or can be manufactured in the correct dose to be used as a clean, sterile, safe and properly tested medicine.

In conclusion, we have shown that there is no medical benefit in urine and it could quite possibly be harmful instead. The prophet Muhammed and Imams considered it a cure-all treatment, a panacea, and recommended it to ill people of different kinds. It is clear they did not have a correct understanding of medicine otherwise they would have identified the diseases properly and then recommended the appropriate cure in its place. They should never recommended urine and this indicates they had no proper medical understanding beyond their time and period and no unique insight into amazing cures or treatments. A prophet aught to have contact with god almighty and ask him how to cure illnesses and perhaps bring some goodness to his sick and suffering creation but instead we find the prophets and imams recommending camel urine. Instead of a good and healthy scientifically advanced treatment coming from Islam, something that Muslims could use as evidence of divine guidance, we find vile, salty, foul urine being presented as a health beverage by the messenger of god. Ask yourself: Would a wise, all-knowing god really recommend urine? Would a good god not have created or taught man to make a better cure?

Thank you Islam, but this is one health drink I would not like to try.


References:
¹ http://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2375/ (accessed 14/01/2017)

Jew Hatred: The Story of Abdul Muttalib - Qussat Abdul Muttalib

This is the second post of an ongoing series that exposes despicable Islamic teachings about Jews and Judaism beyond what is present in the Qur'an. To view the previous post called: Hatred of Jews in the Qur'an.

We already know that the Qur'an has some negative verses about Jews describing most of them as disobedient to god and his teachings, changing scriptures and conspiring against Islam. It is not unexpected that Muslims show animosity to the Jews due to what the they are taught. Islamic teachings show two faces - on the one hand they respect Jews (and Christians) as "People of the Book" and on the other hand they detest them as "Murderers of the Prophets". As I go through the Islamic literature corpus I will be posting some of the things that they say about the Jews in a series of blog posts.

We start off with a story pre-dating Muhammed, from the biography of Abdul Muttalib as related in the book Hayat Al-Qulub of Allamah Majlisi¹, which although is quite modern (~1650AD) is written by a highly respected and prolific Shia author of Islamic jurisprudence and hadith books. His book Hayat Al-Qulub collects stories, narrations and teachings from older trusted books and some of these stories can be found in Sunni Islamic history and hadith collections such as related by Ibn Kathir and Tabari's history books and the 6 recognised 'sahih books'.

Abdul Muttalib is the paternal grandfather of prophet Muhammed and was the official custodian of the Kaabah, the house of god. He was alive in the early part of Muhammed's life and looked after him between the ages of 6 and 8 after his mother died.

According to some narrations Abdul Muttalib was born with some white hair and was called Shaibatul Hamd (white hair of the praised) by his mother. Like his grandson Muhammed after him, he was born with only his mother to look after him. Hayat Al-Qulub tells us:

"The newborn began to walk after only two months. When the Jews saw him, their hearts overflowed with enmity and jealousy because they knew that the Noor displayed by him was the Noor of the Prophet of the last era who was to slay those Jews and to nullify their religions."

The 'noor' or light they are speaking of is the divine light of Allah which, if you read the book from the beginning, was the light of the spirit of Muhammed and was entered into the loins of Adam and passed on from one person to the other through his ancestors. It's sign is a physical effulgence emitting from the forehead or kidney region (this is to do with the Muslim belief in a Quranic scientific error from verse 86.7 that sperm is formed in or near the kidneys!) of the carrier just before it enters the womb the woman to bear the next holy child. I recommend reading the amusing narration about the angels standing behind Adam in the first chapter of Hayat Al-Qulub.

The quote above claims a miracle of the baby walking at 2 months. This is nonsense, because the baby at that age can barely hold the weight of its own head up let alone walk! If you have ever held a baby that young you will know this. The youngest any baby has been recorded walking is at 6 months when their body has grown and they have stronger muscles and better control of their bodies. I won't elaborate further here on any other crazy things the book says because there is a lot!

The quote shows the enmity of Muslim writers to Jews, claiming that they were hateful and jealous of a little baby because he carried the holy spirit of Muhammed, as if they knew anything about his personage! More than that, it claims the Jews had an ancient belief that a prophet was coming and they must assassinate him before he comes to destroy them. This, of course is nonsense and likely offensive for Jews to hear. As someone who has read the Old Testament and has read up on Jewish beliefs, the thought of some internal conspiracy of the Jews to murder their own prophets is ludicrous. How could they call themselves believers in god, Abraham, Noah and Moses and the other prophets if they were on a mission to kill them? God had already sent them many prophets to guide them, then why would god suddenly warn them he was sending a prophet to destroy them? What kind of god spends all that time and effort on a people for centuries then decides to destroy them by sending a prophet? Also, if Jews were secretly enemies of god and his prophets then why would they hold on to the religion of Judaism, observed the rules and teachings and revere the prophets for thousands of years if they actually hated god and his prophets? And considering Muslims believe god knows everything, then he would have foreseen the Jews becoming his enemies and not bothered with them at all from the very beginning... So you see, such accusations that are prominent in Islamic literature just don't make any sense!

Shaibatul Hamd spent his early years in Medina but was smuggled away to Makkah at the age of 7. The story tells us that while travelling to Makkah they were followed by a tribe of Jews from Medina out to kill the child!

"So when they (Jews) heard that he (Shaibah) was going to Mecca [Makkah], they called out to other Jews saying that the boy was going alone with his uncle to Mecca. Let us follow him and slay him and be safe from his evil. Seventy Jews armed themselves and followed the camel of Muttalib who heard the noise of their horses at night. So he said: “My son, the feared ones have arrived.” Shaibah said: “Change the route.” Muttalib said: “My son, the radiance on your forehead will show us to them wherever we go.” Shaibah said: “Hide my face, perhaps the light will stop shining.” Muttalib put a threefold cloth on his head but the brightness did not decrease...
[When the Jews caught up with them the approached Shaibah and his uncle Muttalib saying]: "O righteous gentlemen! We have not come here to harm you.” We only request you to send Shaibah to his mother, because he is a light, bliss and a sign of luck for our city.” Shaibah said: “We are well aware of your conspiracies and intrigues. Now as the Might of Allah has overpowered you, you are talking in this way.” Upon this the Jews returned disappointed and disgraced. After walking a little distance, Daahiyaa’s son Latiya said: “Perhaps you don’t know that they are magicians, who have made us spellbound. Let us go back on foot and kill them.”
"Then they drew out their swords and rushed to Muttalib and Shaibah (a.s.). Seeing it Muttalib said: “Now your intention has become quite clear and a Jihad against you has become obligatory.” Saying this, he took up his bow and shot some youths with arrows. Then all of them attacked jointly. Muttalib too, uttering the name of Allah, started fighting with them fiercely.
"Shaibah was praying tearfully to Allah. Suddenly a dust storm arose from far off and along with it the noise of running horses and dangling arms. When they came close, Muttalib saw that Salma has arrived along with her father and four thousand warriors of Aws and Khazraj to take back Shaibah. When Salma saw the Jews fighting with Muttalib, she cried out: “Woe upon you! What is this meanness?” Latiya began to run on hearing this. Salma said: “O enemy of Allah, where are you going?” She then cut him into two with one blow of the sword. The warriors of Aws and Khazraj then attacked the Jews and finished them all."

Shaibatul Hamd initially lived a quiet life under the guise of a slave or servant boy of his uncle Muttalib, hence the moniker Abdul Muttalib (slave of Muttalib). This was to keep the boy safe from any malevolent Jews until he was old enough to fend for himself. The young Abdul Muttalib lived in the household of his uncle and was likely adopted as his son and was therefore accorded the same rights as a biological son, even though his true identity was kept secret. In later life he became head of the Bani Hashim tribe of Makkah and custodian of the holy Kaabah and its sacred well, Zamzam.

As a young Muslim child I was taught that one of the proofs of Muhammed's prophethood was that his coming was promised in many prophecies revealed to the Jews and the Christians. We were taught the Jews had moved from Jerusalem to go live in Medina in haste to await the coming of the next or final prophet of god, to be blessed and guided by him. But when he came they rejected him. Why these prophecies were never written down and we have no proof of them outside of Islamic claims is something to wonder about. The story we read above claims the Jews moved away from their holy land with a malicious intent and were contending with god almighty to murder his future prophet for the purpose of self-preservation of the Jewish peoples! This is a clear contradiction between what I was taught and what is written in Muslim books. When, as an adult, I go through Muslim literature I recognise the contradictions between the rosy, friendly and pleasant Islam I was taught as a youngster and the dark, violent and offensive Islam that I read in the original books.

The things we were taught as youngsters and which we read in the Qur'an and hear from preachers and elders leaves many Muslims thoroughly confused about the Jews - on the one hand they claim that the Jews knew that there was a prophet of Jehova coming and were seeking to meet him and be guided, and then again they say the Jews were the enemies of Jehova and killers of prophets. The positive belief is that the Jews are a respectable people who believe in god, were sent the holy Torah and follow the law of god and the prophets, and that is why we call them "people of the book". The negative belief is that the Jews, although they believe in god and his prophesies, actually hate him and his prophets, have an insatiable desire to murder them for some strange reason and actually think they can change god's plans without retribution. How anyone can believe in both these accounts simultaneously is beyond my comprehension. It is contradictory, yet it is what Muslims are taught.

I think, considering the amount of negative and offensive things present in the Qur'an and Islamic literature, Islam does in fact have a serious problem with bigotry and hatred of Jews. It did not need the Palestine-Israel conflict to exacerbate it because the bigotry and hatred existed before the formation of the modern Jewish state. The claims that the Jews killed the prophets of god, that they were arrogant, that they were always disobedient to god and mocked his prophets, that they worshipped other gods (like the golden calf and Uzair), that they altered the text of the Torah to hide the truth, that they were proud to have killed Jesus, that they didn't follow the laws of god, that they were scheming and enemies of Islam - doesn't all this promote animosity towards them?! And with a Quranic verse as strong as 5:82 it is not exactly subtle! I really find it strange that the Muslims expected the Jews to accept Islam when Muhammed came to them with a new religion unlike Judaism with new beliefs, doctrines and stories quite obviously built on top of a Jewish framework, and requested that they believe in it or else pay the jizyah tax and forever have no say in how they lived their lives; and if they refused to live under the humiliation of the Islamic state they would be considered renegades and be fought against and killed [Qur'an 9:29-30]. It is incredible to think how any Jew with any sense of dignity and a brain in their head would have accepted the message of Muhammed. The religious among them would have considered him a false prophet and out of reverence to Jehova and the Jewish religion would have rejected his religion and new scripture that claimed to be from Jehova but with a different style, different personality of god with a different name, different belief system, and most of all the Qur'an insulted the Jews and told outright lies about them! When the Jews read the Qur'an it would have surely lead to anger and rejection of the message of Islam, so one would be compelled to ask: was this really the best way that Allah could think of to guide the Jews to Islam?

1. Hayat Al-Qulub, Vol 2, Ch: Ancestry of the Holy Prophet (S) and circumstances of his Forefathers, by Allamah Muhammad Baqir Majlisi.

Hatred of Jews in the Qur'an

In this article I plan to show how the Qur'an talks about the Jewish people and about their faith, presenting its consistently negative and offensive message against them. I will not be responding to each claim or assault from the Qur'an, but will explain why hatred of Jews, or any other people for that matter, is wrong and not justified. I plan to cover the individual claims in another blog post in the future. I am not defending the Jews because I have any particular love for the Jews but because I believe in human decency and good will and I abhor racism, the application of collective labels and painting a whole community with the same brush.

The Qur'an is the holy book of the Muslims and believed to be the literal and unaltered word of god. The same god of the Jews and Christians. The message of Islam, the religion revealed to the prophet Muhammed from 610AD onwards, is considered a conclusion of the divine religion of god and shares some things, mainly dietary laws and some prophets, in common with Judaism. If you have read a little about the life of the prophet Muhammed you will find that there were many wars and conflicts in his time and his primary enemies were the infidels or pagans of Arabia, but his secondary enemies were the Jews. This historically opens up the door to justify very negative things said about the Jews by the prophet, his companions and even the Qur'an where god himself warns and insults the Jews!

One can argue that the Jews were the enemies of Islam and fought against the prophet, broke treaties and conspired with his enemies and while that may be true to a certain extent, it does not justify broad expressions of hatred or insult to regular Jews today or in the far past who have nothing to do with what some Jews in Arabia did 1400 years ago. The Qur'an promotes discrimination of Jews and refers to them in a collective manner, treating them as a single people with the same sentiment. It does not make a proper distinction between individuals or small groups or Jews then and now but paints them altogether with the same brush. It promotes the idea that a good Jew is one who (a) follows the Torah, and then (b) believes in Muhammed as the final prophet of god and, (c) eventually accepts Islam and becomes a Muslim.

During the lifetime of Muhammed, Jews were generally not forced to convert to Islam but there were certainly factors that may have pressured them into believing. Under Muhammed's rule, the Jews who lived in his territory who didn't convert to Islam were obliged to live amongst a Jewish community and strictly abide by the laws of the Torah or else suffer the punishments accordingly, and on top of that, they would have to pay a tax (jizyah) for continuing to disbelieve in Islam. If they didn't pay the tax or refused to live by the rules of traditional Judaism, changed their religion to any other religion than Islam, they would be punished and/or seen as rebels and summarily be executed. The Qur'an is not coy about what this treatment of Jews means. It clearly says that this kind of subjugation is a humiliation for the Jews (and Christians) and a clear expression of superiority of Islam over their religion:

[9:29] (O Muslims) Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the tax in acknowledgement of superiority [of Muslims] and they are in a state of subjection.

There is an obvious arrogance in Islam where it teaches that it is the one true religion and that Allah is the one true god and anyone who thinks otherwise must be wrong. And if anyone fights or pro-actively rejects the teachings of Islam then they are enemies of god and of all that is good. The problem with that mentality is that not everyone will believe in Islam, and Jews especially will find it difficult to accept Islam because they are able to identify the pitfalls of the religion and contradiction between their faith and this false self-proclaimed heir to their faith. It is precisely because Jews believed in the god of the Torah and its teachings that they rejected the new and strange teachings of Muhammed and rejected him as a prophet of god and therefore felt religiously obliged to fight him. They were adamant not to fall for the rouse that they saw in the prophet of Islam and his new Arabian religion. So, honestly, we cannot blame the Jews for disbelieving in Islam and fighting Muhammed, because if they are good Jews they would be consciously compelled to do so as a devout act of their faith! So Muslims who believe in jihad and defending of Islam aught to respect the Jews for their strong belief and appreciate them for fighting for what they believed in!

The Qur'an consistently depicts Jews negatively. Not just the Jews during the lifetime of Muhammed, but all Jews from the beginning of Judaism to this day, as disobedient to god and his teachings, changing scriptures and conspiring against Islam. Here is a collection of verses that promote these views:

[2.61] ....abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them [the Jews], and they became deserving of Allah's wrath; this was so because they disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this was so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.
[2:83] And when We made a covenant with the children of Israel [Prophet Jacob]: You shall not serve any but Allah and (you shall do) good to (your) parents, and to the near of kin and to the orphans and the needy, and you shall speak to men good words and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate. Then you turned back except a few of you and (now too) you turn aside.
[2:88] And they [the Jews] say: Our hearts are covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief; so little it is that they believe.
[2:89] And when there came to them a Book from Allah verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them (Prophet) that which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him; so Allah's curse is on the unbelievers.
[2:102] And they [some of the Jews] followed what the Shaitans (Devils) chanted of sorcery in the reign of Sulaiman (Solomon), and Sulaiman was not an unbeliever, but the Shaitans disbelieved, they taught men sorcery and that was sent down to the two angels at Babel, Harut and Marut, yet these two taught no man until they had said, "Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever."...
[4:155] Therefore, for their breaking their covenant and their disbelief in the communications of Allah and their killing the prophets wrongfully and their saying: Our hearts are covered; nay! Allah set a seal upon them owing to their unbelief, so they shall not believe except a few.
[4:156] And for their unbelief and for their having uttered against Marium [Mary] a grievous calumny.
[4:157] And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium [Jesus son of Mary], the apostle of Allah;...
[4:160] Wherefore for the iniquity of those who are Jews did We disallow to them the good things which had been made lawful for them and for their hindering many (people) from Allah's way.
[4:161] And their taking usury though indeed they were forbidden it and their devouring the property of people falsely, and We have prepared for the unbelievers from among them a painful chastisement.
[5:41] O Apostle! let not those grieve you who strive together in hastening to unbelief from among those who say with their mouths: We believe, and their hearts do not believe, and from among those who are Jews; they are listeners for the sake of a lie, listeners for another people who have not come to you; they alter the words from their places, saying: If you are given this, take it, and if you are not given this, be cautious; and as for him whose temptation Allah desires, you cannot control anything for him with Allah. Those are they for whom Allah does not desire that He should purify their hearts; they shall have disgrace in this world, and they shall have a grievous chastisement in the hereafter.
[5:64] And the Jews say: The hand of Allah is tied up! Their hands shall be shackled and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are spread out, He expends as He pleases; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord will certainly make many of them increase in inordinacy and unbelief; and We have put enmity and hatred among them till the day of resurrection; whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not love the mischief-makers.
[5:82] Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists, and you will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians; this is because there are priests and monks among them and because they do not behave proudly.
[9:29] Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the tax in acknowledgement of superiority [of Muslims] and they are in a state of subjection.
[9:30] And the Jews say: Uzair [Ezra] is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!
[9:31] They have taken their doctors of law and their monks for lords besides Allah, and (also) the Messiah son of Marium [Mary] and they were enjoined that they should serve one God only, there is no god but He; far from His glory be what they set up (with Him).
[9:32] They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light, though the unbelievers are averse.

After reading these verses from the Qur'an it is not surprising that some Muslims show animosity or dislike to the Jews due to what the they are taught... And it is also no surprise that Jews rejected the prophet Muhammed and his religion for what the Qur'an says about them! Honestly, if you are a Muslim, ask yourself if you were in the same shoes as a Jew and read those verses above about you, would you not outright be offended and absolutely reject it?! More-so than that, I bet you would fight against it! And if you were well versed in the Torah and Jewish religion you would see so many contradictions and outright lies being said about your religion!! Even if you do not know much about the Jewish faith, you can recognise some things in the verses above that certainly don't apply to any Jews you know about!

But for all the negativity that is present in the Qur'an and Islamic teachings, there are indeed some positive verses such as:

[2:62] Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.
[2:63] And when We took a promise from you and lifted the mountain over you: Take hold of the law (Torah) we have given you with firmness and bear in mind what is in it, so that you may guard (against evil).

But those of you who are well versed in the Qur'an know that such verses carry an assumption. Such verses refer to Jews and Christians who are obedient followers of the Torah and firm believers in god and have not had a chance to study Islam yet and have not rejected it or they lived before the advent of Islam. But modern Jews are not excused or appreciated in the same way because they have recourse to study Islam and if they have rejected Islam or refuse to learn it then Allah does not extend a welcome greeting to them and in fact he threatens them with hell fire and all manner of torture and humiliation. Allah is clear: "[3.85] And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him". Then, if you carry on reading after those verses, you will see how quickly this positivity switches to the default negativity in the next verses depicting the Jews as disobedient and stubborn.

[2.64] Then you [Jews] turned back after that; so were it not for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you, you would certainly have been among the losers.

There are other parts of the Qur'an that show respect to Jews (and Christians) by referring to them as "People of the Book" and acknowledging their scriptures and enjoin Muslims to defend synagogues, churches and cloisters! Yes, you read that right. Muslims are required by their religion to defend the Jews and Christians and their homes and places of worship!

[22.39] Permission [for the Muslims] (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them;
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah's name is much remembered; and surely Allah will help him who helps His cause; most surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.

But of course, this is should be read in the context that these Jews and Christians are living under Muslim rule and are obeying the laws and paying the Jizyah taxes.

The message of the Qur'an and Islam in general is clearly negative when it comes to its portrayal of the Jews. The Qur'an doesn't just talk about the Jews at the time of the prophet Muhammed - it insults and criticizes them from the birth of Judaism and extends to future generations. This of course has a very negative impact on any social cohesion that can be achieved between a Muslim and Jewish community. A Jewish community will always be under suspicion and under threat in a Muslim community because there will always be extremists and firebrand clerics who will inspire hatred into the hearts of naive and ignorant believers. It is only a matter of time before a rumour spreads or an altercation occurs and they pin the blame squarely on the Jews, because as Allah has told them time and time again in his holy text that they are the surely the enemies of Islam and the Muslims. The Qur'an does not make any clear distinction between different types or groups of Jews. It instead lumps them all together as one despised community of stubborn, misguided, deceptive people; killers of the prophets, rejecters of his message and an age-old enemy in the midst of the 'true believers'. Such ideas are abundant in the Qur'an as it repeats stories from the lives of the prophets, the vast majority of whom were Jewish. But instead of focussing on the goodly Jews and stating how pious and obedient to god they were, it concentrates on the rejecters and casts a dark shadow on a whole race.

I hope that you agree with me that it is not right to judge a community by the actions of a few people. Of all the people who should understand this it is the Muslims, who, especially after the events of 9/11 (the twin tower attacks), have felt the direct impact of Islamaphobia, xenophobia and racism. They know how it feels to be blamed, insulted, mistreated and even assaulted because of the actions of a handful of terrible Muslims. They know very well that the actions of a minority does not represent the beliefs or views of the majority. They also know the frustration of being accused in believing in a religion of violence, deception and evil. Muslims know how ignorance and negativity and false messages are harmful to social cohesion and community spirit and they should absolutely reject negative portrayals of any people based on their race, nationality, skin-color or beliefs. I ask Muslims then: is it fair to look at the Jews in the same way? Is it right to make accusations about the Jews and to tar them all with the same brush? Is it OK to make assumptions about the beliefs and attitudes of Jews based on what you, a non-Jew, have been taught from a young age? Is it right to hate?

If you are a decent human being, then I can assume you agree that it is wrong to judge people like that. Judge not lest ye be judged, as the saying goes. If we want to live in a world of peace and fairness to all, we should not hate our fellow neighbour. Instead, we should be fair and positive about all people and show mutual respect. This is something I wish I had found in the teachings of the Qur'an and Islam... So if you believe in humanity, I urge you to reconsider how you interpret your faith and reconsider what it means to be a good person.