CHAPTER THREE
HUMAN STYLEEvery
other religious book is set on the pattern of, "Once upon a
time…" or "The
fox and the grapes … the wolf and lamb," etc, etc, i.e. 1- a) IN
THE BEGINNING (once Upon a Time) God
created the heaven and the earth … (Emphasis added) (Holy Bible) Genesis 1:1 The
first verse of the Bible speaks about "the heaven and the earth" in
the singular. In the Holy Qur'an the word earth is always singular whereas the
word heavens is in the plural. Some thing to ponder upon! The
word "Genesis" itself means the beginning this is, after all,
how every human tale ought to start. It should begin with the
"beginning!". b)
IN THE BEGINNING (once
Upon a Time) was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God
… (Emphasis added) (Holy Bible) John 1:1
In the original Greek manuseripts of the
new Testament there is no such thing as a capital letter and a small letter.
The Christian theologians have contrived capitals according to their religious
prejudices into their translations of the Bible i.e. God and god. c) THIS IS THE
GENEALOGY (The Origin, The
Beginning) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham … (Emphasis
added) (Holy Bible) Matthew 1:1 2.
NOW
AFTER THE DEATH OF MOSES THE SERVANT OF THE LORD IT CAME TO PASS (So
it happened, Once Upon a Time) that the Lord spake unto Joshua … (Emphasis
added) (Holy Bible) Joshua 1:1 3.
NOW
AFTER THE DEATH OF JOSHUA IT CAME TO PASS (So
it happened, Once Upon a Time) the children of Israel asked the Lord … (Emphasis
added) (Holy Bible) Judges 1:1
The editors of the RSV (the Revised Standard Version) of the Bible,
supported by 32 scholars of the highest eminence; backed by 50 co-operating
denominations, concluded their verdict regarding its authorship – NOT God
but "Possibly Samuel!". 4.
NOW
IT CAME TO PASS (So it happened,
Once Upon a Time) in the days when the Judges ruled, that there was famine
in the land … (Emphasis added) (Holy Bible) Ruth 1:1 Their
verdict again – "Not definitely known, perhaps
Samuel!" Most definitely NOT God! 5.
NOW
THERE WAS A CERTAIN MAN (Once Upon
a Time) of Ramathaimzophim, of the mount Ephraim … (Emphasis
added) (Holy Bible) Samuel 1:1
Amazingly, the inspired editors of the RSV say about the authorship of
the Book of Judges – "Possibly Samuel" and for the Book of Ruth
– "Perhaps Samuel", but when they come to the Book of Samuel(?)
himself they declare – Author – "Unknown!" 6.
NOW
IT CAME TO PASS (So it happened,
Once Upon a Time) after the death of Saul … (Emphasis added) (Holy Bible) 2 Samuel 1:1
7. NOW
(Once Upon a
Time) King David was old (Gone Old) and
stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. (Holy Bible) 1 King 1:1
The same (editors’ verdict) – Author
– "Unknown!" 8. NOW (Once
Upon a Time) in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia … (Holy Bible) Book of Ezra 1:1
Again they unashamedly confess – author – "Probably
written or edited by Ezra!" Note their guarded semantics- "Possibly,
perhaps, probably, etc" Get my book "Is the Bible God's
Word?" from the IPCI for a fuller insight. 9.
NOW
IT CAME TO PASS (So it happened,
Once Upon a Time) in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth
day of the month … (Emphasis added) (Holy Bible) Ezekiel1:1 If these examples do not confuse and bewilder you, then nothing else
will! You are inevitably struck with the "once upon a time" syndrome.
You have cultivated a predilection for man-made stories, even if they be true.
The style, the pattern, the narration is what I am speaking about. This is how
humans think, talk and write. No blame on them for humans will be humans!
All the above references are from the authorized King James Version (KIV)
which is the most popular version among the Christians of the world You must
have noted that every verse in the above quotations is 1:1, 1:1, meaning the first
chapter and the first verse of every book of the Bible. Which
start with NOW, NOW, now!". Try it out, see for yourself how many
more such beginnings you can find in the "Book of Books," [Book
of Books: A title of the Holy Bible.]
I must, however warn you that your Bible Concordances will not help you.
You will have to page through the Bible the same way as I did. CONCORDANCES
WON'T HELP I consulted two Bible Concordances. The one was published by the
Jehovah's Witnesses – The fastest growing Christian sect in Christendom. The
second is "Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible". Both these
concordances boast over 300 000 entries each. The latter has no less than 277 now's
listed, but there is not a single "NOW" (once upon a time) of the
examples given above. You can guess the reason! [Because
they represent childish redundancies ("ONCE UPON A TIME"); which
ill-befits the word of God even according to their own standards.] I do not want to tax your patience any further. I realize that you will
want proof. "Alright now, please tell us your story about your
Qur'anic revelation!": "It was the night of the 27th of the month of Ramadaan that
Muhammad (pbuh) the prophet of Islam, was in cave of Hira, in the outskirts of
the City of Makkah. He used to retire to Mount Hira for peace, quiet and
contemplation. He used to worry about the problems of his people – their
drunkenness, adulteries, idolatries, wars, their rank injustices and cruelties.
So much so that Gibbon, the master historian, was constrained to record in his "Decline
and fall of the roman empire": "THE HUMAN BRUTE (THE ARAB), ALMOST WITHOUT SENSE IS POORLY DISTINGUISHED
FROM THE REST OF THE ANIMAL CREATION." The
recluse of Hira was yearning for a solution. He was wont to retire to his
retreat often alone, but sometimes with his dear wife Umm-ul-Mo'mineen (Mother
of the Faithful) Khadija-tul-Kubra. THE FIRST CALL
One
night – the night of Lailatul-Qadr – (the Night of Power and Excellence)
when Divine peace rests on creation, and all nature is lifted up towards its
Lord – in the middle of that night the book of God was opened to the thirsting
soul. Gabriel, the angel of God, appears to him, and commands him in his mother
tongue: ÅÞÑÃ
Iqra',
which mean "read!" or "recite" or "rehearse!" or
"proclaim" aloud! Muhammad (pbuh) was too terrified and was totally
unprepared for this shock. This was no graduating or gowning ceremony. In fear
and trepidation he cries out ãÇ ÃäÇ
ÈÞÇÑÆ Maa-ana-beqaa-Ri'in"
"I am not learned!"
The angel repeats the command Iqra' for the second time, with the
identical response from Muhammad (pbuh). Gabriel embraces him hard and commands
him the third time: READ! IN THE NAME OF
THY LORD AND CHERISHER WHO CREATED … Muhammad
(pbuh) now grasps that what he was required to do, was to repeat what was being
said, since this Arabic word Iqra' means all these things –
read, recite or repeat! Following the above first verse 9English meaning) of Sura
Al-Alaq (Chapter 96 of the Holy Qur'an), four more verses were repeated
and recited on Muhammad's (pbuh) first call and subsequently recorded in written
form in the Holy Qur'an … "Hold
it, Mr. Deedat!" I can almost hear you shriek. All this that you are
telling us about your "Qur'anic revelation" is no different from the
other numerous examples you have to prove to have had a human hand in it. Were
they all fallible and not divine?" Exactly!
I am happy that you see clearly how the subjective mind of man thinks, talks,
and records. From the time you asked me "please tell us your STORY about
your Qur'anic revelation" and I began to respond – "It was
the night of the 27th of the month of Ramadaan …" up to
– "and subsequently recorded in written form in the Holy Qur'an"
were my own words, borrowed from the Holy Qur'an, from the Books of Tradition,
from history and from the lips of learned men. I heard over the decades. The
Qur'anic Scripture has no such taint from the hands of men, This is how it is
preserved. I list below the first five verses of the first revelation to
Muhammad (pbuh), for your critical observation and study – 1.
Proclaim! (or Read!)
Who created – 2.
Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
[English interpretation by A. Yusuf Ali] A UNIQUE RECORD Every
Qur'anic text, in Arabic or in a translated form in any language will
follow this pattern. There are no ifs and buts. You will NOT find in the
text or translation that Muhammad (pbuh) "WAS FORTY YEARS OLD WHEN HE
RECEIVED HIS FIRST CALL" you will NOT find that "HE WAS IN THE
CAVE OF MOUNT HIRA" You will NOT find that "HE SAW THE ANGEL
GABRIEL" Or that "HE WAS TERRIFIED" or how he reached and
responded to the command "Iqra’!" That when the angel departed after
having completed the first five verses. "MUHAMMAD RAN HOME SOME THREE MILES
SOUTH TO MAKKAH TO HIS DEAR WIFE KHADIJA AND RELATED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND
REQUESTED HER TO COVER HIM UP, COVER HIM UP!" All this is what I call a "Once
upon a time!" style. The Holy Qur'an narrates nothing of this, it is
absolutely unique in its narration and its preservation. In short it is
Miraculous!. Further,
unlike any human endeavour of literary art, where every thing begins with the
beginning, the first word and the first verse of the Qur'anic inspiration is not
the first chapter and the first verse of the Holy Qur'an IT
OCCUPIES THE NINETY SIXTH CHAPTER OF THE HOLY
QUR’AN, as the divine Author (GOD
ALMIGHTY) had instructed His Chosen
Messenger Muhammad (pbuh). No religious book on earth is like it or follows this
pattern, because no alleged Revelation was preserved in its pristine purity when
it was revealed! A
CANADIAN PSYCHOLOGIST
I had the privilege of sharing my thoughts on the first call of Muhammad
(pbuh), as contained in the first five verses of Sura Al-`Alaq (chapter 96) as
seen above, with a young man from Canada. I was taking him on a guided tour of
the largest Mosque in the southern hemisphere. Whilst chatting, I enquired as to
his occupation. He said that he was doing a post-graduate course, majoring in
psychology. "Psychology?" I said, and immediately drew his attention
to the first five verses of the chapter under discussion. I asked him as to how
he would account for the Message and experience of Muhammad (pbuh), speaking
about "Reading, Writing and learning things unknown before,"
things which were not his immediate problem nor the problem of his people. How
could the subjective mind of man, as if out of the blue [Blue:
as from nowhere!] rehearse
these words. I said, "Account for it!" He said that he could not. He
confessed that he had already grappled with that problem. I said, "In that
case we would have to accept the man at his word. "And I quoted the first
verses from Sura Najm: BY THE STAR WHEN IT
GOES DOWN, - YOUR COMPANION IS
NEITHER ASTRAY NOR BEING MISLED. NON DOES HE SAY (AUGHT) OF (HIS OWN) DESIRE. IT
IS NO LESS THAN INSPIRATION SENT DOWN TO HIM: HE WAS TAUGHT BY ONE MIGHTY IN
POWER. (SURA
NAJM) Holy
Qur'an 53:1-5 [1]
"By the star":
an oath, an adjuration. 2
“Your
Companion”: MeaningMuhammad (pbuh)
the Messenger of God. 3
INSPIRATION:
Our concept of the revelation to Muhammad (pbuh) is a verbal inspiration. The
words of the Holy Qur'an were so to say "Put into his mouth"
(Deut, 18:18). Get your FREE copy of "What the BIBLE says about
MUHAMMAD (pbuh)" from the IPCI. 4
“One mighty in power”: This is referred to by the commentators to the
archangel Gabriel through whom the revelation came. And
Muhammad (pbuh) is repeatedly made to tell the people: SAY: I AM BUT A MAN
LIKE YOURSELVES, (BUT) THE INSPIRATION HAS COME TO ME, THAT YOUR GOD IS ONE GOD
…. (SURA KAHF) Holy
Qur'an 18:110 The
young Canadian politely responded, "I will have to give this matter serious
thought". If
only we would familiarize ourselves with the facts from the Holy Qur'an, we
would be able to open a conversation with the specialists in any science. MIRACLE
OF JOURNALISM Being
a beehive of activity, the IPCI Centre attracts a lot of people for dialogue and
discussions, including the journalist and the newspaperman. As soon as I
discover that my interviewer's field of activity is journalism, I tell him that
I would like to show him the Holy Qur'an as a "Miracle of Journalism!"
No one refuses to hear. I begin with the story of the Holy prophet Moses (pbuh),
in the style and pattern of "Once upon a time." It can't be helped.
Yet we cannot afford the luxury of the details of "Moses and the
Bulrushes", or even the details of "his childhood, mother, and his
sister", (Holy Qur'an 20:38-40 and 28:7-13). We have to skip the details, I
begin with - HIS MISHAP IN THE CITYMoses
(pbuh) came upon two men fighting, a man belonging to his own tribe and the
other an enemy of his people. He went to help the Jew against the Egyptian and
in the altercation slapped the tyrant too hard so that he died. Moses
(pbuh) then fled the country into the Sinai Desert and found himself among the
Midianites. Here he helped two damsels in distress and was offered a job by
their father Jethro. After having completed his indenture for a period of over
eight years. Moses (pbuh) was beginning to get bored with his rustic existence.
For a man who had grown up with royalty in the midst of the huste and bustle of
the city, he was getting restless. He wanted a change and asked for permission
to become independent from his in-laws. Jethro was a very reasonable, and a
practical man. He grants Moses (pbuh) leave. MOSES
PIONEERS A TREK Moses
(pbuh) left with his wife and children, together with his share of the sheep and
the goats which he used to herd for his father-in-law. After
some time he found himself with his family in the Sinai. He had lost direction
from the last habitation with whom he had rested. He had run out of stocks of
the braised meat that he was carrying. There was still enough Matzos, the dried
unleavened bread of the Jews. The problem was the meat. He had to slaughter a
sheep or a goat. That would be easy. The difficulty was to start a fire which
was a laborious task. It could take as long as half a day of rubbing two
dissimilar materials. Obviously there were no matches or lighters in those days.
He was procrastinating. Putting things off for today, or tomorrow and his meat
problem would be solved, he thought … "Where is the promised
miracle!" Mr. Deedat? So
far I have given only the background to the story. The miracle is to condense
all the above and more in just four terse verses – four short sentences in the
most beautiful prose. But to appreciate the feat, I must draw your attention to
what I would like you to notice in what is to me, the acme of journalism. NEWSPAPER
PLACARDS I
live some thirty kilometers north of the city of Durban, where I have my
offices. Prior to the construction of the N2 (Freeway) linking the city of
Durban, I usually took the beach (seaside) road to Durban, this route took me
past the amphitheatre on the Durban beachfront. At the intersection of the
amphitheatre I regularly observed a news vendor offering the morning paper – "The
Natal Mercury", for sale. He had a placard daily with headline to
attract buyers. Again and again on reading the placard, I made up my mind not to
buy the newspaper that day, but on parking my car in central Durban on passing
other news vendors, I nevertheless bought the paper. After
numerous such changes of decision, I began to question myself as to the reasons
for my change of mind. I discovered that though the same newspaper was being
offered for sale, the placards were different. On the beachfront the placards
were made appealing to European clientele, whereas the placards in the area I
passed were directed to the Asian community. By extension, the placard for the
African and the Coloured areas would be slanted to induce them to buy the same
paper. So the
master journalist would be the one who could invent a single placard that would
appeal to the four major race groups each day. [Under the "Apartheid" system, the four groups who used
to live in separate areas in South Africa.] That
would be the masterpiece of journalism!
Journalists no doubt all agree with this reasoning. Let us then analyse the Holy
Qur'an on this basis. UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Muhammad (pbuh), the prophet of Islam is in Madinah, and is surrounded by
Jews, Christians. Muslims, Mushriks and Munaafiqs ["Mushriks":
the pagans, the idolators of Makkah. "Munaafiqs":
The hypocrites, running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.] in
the City. The Holy Prophet is to broadcast his news (Divine Revelation) to all
these various people. What must he write on his placard to attract the attention
of each of these varied groups? He is made to proclaim: HAS THE STORY OF
MOSES REACHED YOU? (SURA
TA-HA) Holy
Qur'an 20:9 I
urge my Muslim Brethern to memorize the Arabic Qur’anic text with its
English meaning. Can
you imagine the excitement? The Christians and the Jews would be waiting to hear
further, wanting Muhammad (pbuh) to make a fool of himself, for they reason
within themselves what could this Arab know about Moses (pbuh) since he is an ummi
(unlettered). The Muslims are thirsty for knowledge, they would be yearning
– please tell us everything you can about Moses (pbuh).
The Mushriks (The polythiests) and the Munaafiqs (the
hypocrites) were lolling their tongues to enjoy the three-sided debate on Moses
(pbuh): between the Muslims, the Christians and the Jews. Everybody is "all-ears"
(acutely attentive)! Muhammad (pbuh) continues. [Actually, these are not the words of Muhammad (pbuh) but the veritable
Words of God as dictated to the Prophet. We say, "Muhammad
continues", because this is what the unbeliever is thinking. Then let
him give full credit to God's human mouthpiece.] BEHOLD, HE SAW A FIRE!
Dramatization! You can almost visualize the scene. Muhammad (pbuh) is
talking telegraphically. It took about two thousand years after the birth of
Jesus Christ (pbuh) for the largest Christian and Jewish nations on earth, the
mighty United States [The mightiest
Christian nation on earth is the USA because it boasts a Christian population of
over 200 million. The USA is also the largest Jewish nation because there are
more Jews in America than in Israel
or in any other country.] to
reach the height of perfection in the advertising field to formulate the slogan,
in the words of the Western Union Telegraph Company, "Don't Write –
Telegraph!" Which school of journalism did Muhammad (pbuh) attend to
master this super American sizzlemanship? [Sizzlemanship:
The art of American high-pressure salesmanship.] He is made to carry on: SO HE SAID TO HIS
FAMILY, "TARRY YE; I PERCEIVE A FIRE; PERHAPS I CAN BRING YOU SOME BURNING
BRAND THEREFROM, OR FIND SOME GUIDANCE AT THE FIRE". (SURA
TA-HA) Holy
Qur'an 20:10 DICTATING SHORTHAND Please
compare the above with any other English translation of the Holy Qur'an by
friend or foe, and you will find the same brevity and economy of words. Muhammad
(pbuh) was not doing any exercise in précis writing. He was only articulating
God's Words as they were whispered into his heart and mind through the medium of
the Archangel Gabriel. We must remember that there was no Arabic Bible, in the
sixth century of the Christian era, when the Holy Prophet dictated the Qur'an. Now
do yourself a favour. Please contrast this Qur'anic Revelation with the Biblical
story as contained in the second Book of the Holy Bible, the Book of Exodus,
chapters 1,2 and 3 which discusses this very aspect of the life of the Holy
Prophet Moses (pbuh) we are dealing with here. I quote the beginning of the
story from the Bible – NOW
these are the names of the children of
Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Is-sa-char, Ze-bu-lun, and Benjamin, Dan, and
Naph-ta-li, Gad, and Asher, And
all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph
was in Egypt already, (HOLY BIBLE) Exodus
1:1-5 “Now!”
Here we stand again – the
“Once upon
a time”
story! Give another glance to all
other examples on the preceding pages. MOSES
SET-UP Simply
warming up! Is this how God speaks? Please compare these five verses from the
Bible with the four verses from the Holy Qur'an reproduced below. To
continue with the Qur'anic narrative, Moses (pbuh) was hungry for two things
whilst wandering in the Sinai with his flock and family. He wanted 'fire' to
cook his meat, and 'direction' to some hospitable community in the desert. Allah
was unfolding his plan. Moses (pbuh) was being 'SET-UP' for his mission from the
illusion of burning coal to the reality of the spiritual fire burning in the
souls of mankind for thousands of years and a true direction for the guidance of
humanity. The
'fire' that Moses (pbuh) saw, was no ordinary fire. To him it meant an easy
kindling of his own fire, the fire also indicated the presence of other human
beings from whom he could get information: and guidance. BUT WHEN HE CAME TO
THE FIRE, A VOICE WAS HEARD: "O MOSES! VERILY I AM THY LORD! THEREFORE (IN
MY PRESENCE) PUT OFF THY SHOES: THOU ART IN THE SACRED VALLEY OF TUWA". (SURA
TA-HA) Holy
Qur'an 20:11-12 The
spiritual history of Moses (pbuh) begins here and this was his spiritual birth.
In Biblical terminology – "This day have I begotten thee!" this
is how God spoke to David (pbuh) about his appointment, in the Book of Psalms
2:7. The
whole Qur'anic passage above is full of the highest mystic meaning, which is
reflected in the short rhymed verses in the original (Arabic). Both the rhythm
and the meaning in the text suggest the highest mystery. For easier comparison I
reproduce the four verses together - Has
the story of Moses reached you? (SURA
TA-HA) Holy
Qur'an 20:9-12 *
Tuwa was the valley just below
Mount Sinai, where subsequently Moses (pbuh) was to receive the Law. In the
parallel mystic meaning we are selected by trials in this humble life, whose
valley is just as sacred and receive God's glory just as much as the heights of
the Mount (Tur) Sinai, if we but have the insight to perceive it. And the 'shoes'
were to be put off as a mark of respect. In the parallel mystic meaning again,
Moses (pbuh) was now to put away his mere worldly interests, and anything of
mere worldly utility, he having been chosen by the Most High God. WHAT
IS YOUR VERDICT? How is one, inured to folklore and fairy tales to evaluate this pure elixir from Heaven? Even a sympathetic critic like Thomas Carlyle, one of the greatest thinkers of the past century, could not fathom its incisive brevity and prespicuousness. He called the Qur'anic reading - "A WEARISOME CONFUSED JUMBLE CRUDE, INCONDITE; - INSUPPORTABLE STUPIDITY…" Incondite,
meaning a badly constructed literary
or artistic composition: and 'unsupportable stupidity?' After contrasting
the Qur'anic and the Biblical narrations, how would your verdict go? I have yet
to come across a journalist who failed to recognize the brilliance of Muhammad
(?) (peace be upon him), in dictating direct facts, without any attempt on his
part at analyzing or interpreting it: exactly as a master journalist would do
for today's newspaper or magazine. It is nothing short of the miraculous! Do
you agree?
|