https://archive.org/details/TwentyThreeYearsAliDashti/page/n27/mode/1up


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EXCERPT

Why did so many tribes sustain the wealth and power of the Quraish by coming to the Kaba? The reason was that the Kaba housed famous idols and contained a black stone which the Arabs held sacred. They thought that walking around the Kaba would bring happiness and salvation, and that running between the nearby hills of Safa and Marwa, on the tops of which two more idols had been placed, was necessary to make prayers effective. Each group of pilgrims had to shout its entreaties to its idol while circumambulating the Kaba and running from Sara to Marwa

Human beings start life with natures determined by their parents at the moment of conception. Every new-born child comes into the world with certain physical characteristics and consequently with psychological and mental characteristics which depend on his or her physical constitution. Nobody can voluntarily determine his own brain power, nervous energy, and instincts any more than he can choose his eye colour, nose shape, heart pressure, stature, or bodily strengths such as eyesight. Some individuals are temperamentally calm and moderate; others are turbulent, stubborn and prone to excess. Those with well-balanced personalities do not disturb the freedom and infringe the rights of others. Those with aggressive personalities often commit violence.
If it is said that prophets are sent to change people's natures, the question arises whether an ill-balanced personality can be transformed into a well-balanced one any more than a black skin into a white one. If this is possible, why has the history of the human race since its adoption of religion been so stained with violence, cruelty, and crime? We are bound to conclude that God's dispatch of prophets to mankind has not succeeded in making all men and women good and happy. An objective observer might remark that a safer way for God to achieve this aim would have been for Him to create all men and women good in the first place.

HIS APPOINTMENT
Mount Hera is a rocky, arid height three miles north-east of Mecca. On its almost inaccessible slopes are some caves to which ascetic hanifs used to make their way for spells of retreat and solitary meditation.
Mohammad had been doing this for some time. A strong desire to get away from the din of life and be alone had often drawn him to the place. Sometimes he took a stock of food and did not come home until it was finished; sometimes he went in the early morning and came home in the evening.
One day, in the year 610, when Mohammad was due back in the evening, he did not come, and Khadija grew anxious and sent someone to search for him; but after a while Mohammad appeared in the doorway, trembling and looking pale. Then he said, " Wrap me up!" They did so. Later, when his strength returned and the agitation passed, he told Khadija about the experience which had brought him to this state.

He (the angel) took me and pressed me down so hard that it took away my strength. When I revived, he again said 'Recite!' and I repeated 'I cannot recite.' He again pressed me down until I became powerless, and then released me and said, for the third time, 'Recite!' Again I repeated, 'I cannot.' Once more he pressed me down and released me. Then he said 'Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created mankind from a clot of blood! Recite! And your Lord is bounteous, He who taught by the pen, taught mankind what they did not know.' Then the angel vanished, and I revived again and walked home .

Also recorded in the biographies and echoed in Quranic verses are the Prophet's enamorment and marriage to Zaynab b. Jahsh, the wife of Zayd b. Harith who was his adopted son.
Zayd had been an enslaved captive, and Khadija had bought him and presented him to Mohammad. Later the Prophet freed him and, in accordance with a contemporary Arab practice, adopted him as a son. In pre-Islamic Arab custom, exactly the same rights and restrictions pertained to an adopted son as to a natural son, for instance with respect to inheritance and to kindred and affinity disqualifications in marriage. The Muslims maintained the old practices until they

were prohibited by the revelation of verses 4-6 of sura 33 (al- Ahzab). On this subject, Abdolhih b. Umar 73 is reported to have said: "We who were close to the Prophet used to speak of Zayd as Zayd bin Mohammad. He was not only the Prophet's son , but also one of his most devoted and steadfast companions."
Zaynab's mother was Omayma, daughter of Abd al- Mutalib, and Zaynab was thus the daughter of Mohammad's paternal aunt. It was the Prophet himself who requested that she should be given in marriage to Zayd. At first she and her brother Abdullah were reluctant to agree, because Zayd was a freed slave, but they withdrew their objection when verse 36 of sura 33 (al-Ahzab) was sent down: "When God and His Apostle have decided a matter , neither a believing man nor a believing woman has any choice in their matter. Anyone who disobeys God and His Apostle is in manifest error." After this revelation, Zaynab was given in marriage toZayd.
The Prophet's love for Zaynab arose later, and the time and circumstances of its incidence are diversely reported. The account in the Tafsir al-J alalayn suggests that his attitude began to change soon after her marriage to Zayd: " After a time (probably meaning a short time) his eye fell on her , and love for Zaynab budded in his heart ."
Zamakhshari, in his comment on verse 37 of sura 33, states that it was after Zaynab's marriage to Zayd that the Prophet's eye fell on her. She pleased him so much that he could not help saying, "Praise be to God who makes hearts beat!" The Prophet had seen Zaynab before, but she had not then pleased him; otherwise he would have asked for her hand. Zaynab heard the Prophet's exclamation and told Zayd about it. Zayd knew intuitively that God had cast an unease with Zaynab into his heart. He therefore went in haste to the Prophet and asked whether he might divorce his wife. The Prophet asked

what had happened and whether he suspected her. Zayd replied that he had met with nothing but kindness from her, but was distressed because she considered her nobler than himself and more suitable for the Prophet. It was then that the words "Keep your wife for yourself and fear God " in verse 37 came down.
A translation of the whole of it is given below:
"When you were saying to the person whom God had helped and you had helped, 'Keep your wife for yourself and fear God', you were concealing something in your heart that God always discloses and were fearing the people , whereas it is God whom you should rightly fear. Now that Zayd has fulfilled a wish concerning her , We make her your wife so that there shall he no impediment for believers with respect to wives of their adopted sons , provided that they (i.e. the adopted sons) shall have fulfilled a wish concerning them (i.e. shall have divorced them). And what God has commanded must be done."
The verse is sufficiently clear and does not need exegesis. The Prophet had taken a liking to Zaynab, but when Zayd came to ask him for permission to divorce her, he advised Zayd not to do so but to keep her. In giving this advice to Zayd, he had concealed his inner wish. But God told him that he had suppressed his inner wish for Zaynab's divorce because he feared that the people would speak ill of him, whereas he ought to fear God alone. When, in spite of his advice, Zayd finalized the divorce, God authorized him to marry Zaynab so that the Muslims should no longer be debarred from marrying former wives of their adopted sons.
While the Prophet's change of attitude and amorous feeling toward Zaynab had probably started at the ceremony of her marriage to Zayd, the fact that Zayd went to ask for the

Prophet's approval of her divorce on the ground of her estrangement suggests that Zayd and Zaynab had lived together in a normal conjugal relationship for some time, even if not for very long. In that case, the sequence of events given by Zamakhshari may be visualized as follows: the Prophet's exclamation "Praise be to God who makes hearts beat " occurred immediately after his glimpse of Zaynab at her marriage ceremony; the hearing of these words and perhaps the sight of a glint in Mohammad's eye made her aware of the true nature of his feelings; this awareness kindled in her mind an ambition to catch Mohammad and become the wife of the most eminent man of the Quraish tribe; with this motive, and on the pretext that she had never desired to be married to Zayd, she began to behave coldly toward Zayd, going so far as to boast of her more noble origin and even of the Prophet's feelings for her; Zayd, in his devotion to his patron and liberator, then decided to release her, and notwithstanding contrary advice proceeded with the divorce.
The unknown author of the Cambridge Tafsir 7 ^gives a different account: "One day when God's Apostle, blessings be upon him, went to Zaynab's house to look for Zayd, he saw Zaynab standing by a bowl in which she was pounding a fragrant perfume. She pleased him, and a wish that she might be his wife arose in his heart. When Zaynab saw the Prophet, she laid her hand on him. Then the Prophet said, 'Grace and beauty! O Zaynab, praise be to God who makes hearts beat!' He said this twice and went away. When Zayd arrived, she told him what had happened and said, 'You cannot have me any more. Go and ask for permission to divorce me!' Zayd then took such a dislike to Zaynab that he could not bear to see her face. After the finalization of the divorce, the Prophet requested Zayd to go and tell Zaynab that God on High had

given her to him as a wife. Zayd went to Zaynab's door and knocked. She asked what he wanted of her now that he had divorced her. He answered that he had brought a message from God's Apostle. Zaynab said, 'All hail to God's Apostle' and opened the door. Zayd walked in, and she wept. Zayd said, 'It is not a time for tears. God has given you a better husband than I was.' She answered, 'Never mind about you! Who is that husband?' He told her that it was God's Apostle, and she bowed to the ground in prayer.

Another conjugal matter which must be mentioned, because it caused a stir at the time and is the subject of Quranic verses, is the Prophet's boycott of Mariya the Copt. One day Mariya went to see the Prophet at Hafsa's house. Hafsa was not at home. He took Mariya into the bedroom and lay down with her. Hafsa came back. In great indignation she shouted at him, "Why are you lying with your slave-girl on my bed?" In order to placate Hafsa, the Prophet swore that he would never touch Mariya again. When the storm abated, and perhaps because he was fond of Mariya or affected by her hurt feelings and complaints about the interdict, he changed hi

mind. His conduct was justified by the revelation of the first five verses of sura 66 (ot-Tahrim):
"O Prophet, why do you lay an interdict on something that God has made permissible for you, seeking to placate your wives? God is forgiving, merciful." (Verse 1)
"God has imposed on you people the duty of making amends to expiate your oaths. And God is your protector. He is knowing, wise." (Verse 2)
This is evidently a reference to verse 91 of surab (al-Ma'eda), which authorizes expiation of ill-considered oaths through compensatory good deeds such as feeding or clothing ten poor persons, freeing a slave, or fasting for three days. According to one account, which is attributed to Moqatel b. Solayman 77 the Prophet expiated his oath about Madya by manumitting a slave, but Hasan b. Ali is reported to have said that the words "God is forgiving, merciful" in verse 1 mean that God forgave the Prophet.
"When the Prophet said something secret to one of his wives, and when she talked about it and God informed him thereof, he made part of it known and refrained from (making known) part of it. And when he spoke to her about it, she asked, 'Who told you this?' He answered, 'The One who knows all and is informed of everything told me.'" (Verse 3)
What had happened was evidently as follows. The Prophet had let Hafsa know in strict confidence that he undertook to have no more relations with Madya, and had asked Hafsa not to tell anyone else; but Hafsa told Aisha, and God informed the Prophet that she had done so. He then spoke to Hafsa, mentioning part of what he had been informed but refraining from mention of part of it. Hafsa, thinking that Aisha had told

the Prophet, asked him how he knew, and he answered that God had told him.
Every reader of the Quran must be amazed to encounter these private matters in a scripture and moral code valid for all mankind and for all time.
Even more amazing are the explanations given by the Quran commentators. One example is the following statement in the Cambridge Tafsir: "When Hafsa told Aisha about the Prophet's secret and when God informed His Apostle that Hafsa had told his secret to Aisha, the Prophet reminded Hafsa of part of what she had said to Aisha.

Aribisala0 can you give us a similar book on christianity abeg.

ShadowWalker00:
Aribisala0 can you give us a similar book on christianity abeg.

I will no problem

aribisala0:
I will no problem

Ok just quote me with the link. Thanks

ShadowWalker00:
Ok just quote me with the link. Thanks

Are you a Christian?

aribisala0:
Are you a Christian?

ex-christian.

ShadowWalker00:
ex-christian.

OK what you must know is that Christian Texts are fundamentally different from those of Islam in one fundamental way. The Quran is entirely attributed to Muhammed whilst "Christian" texts have several authors and many of the authors are UNKNOWN

Secondly Christianity has appropriated texts of Judaism(so called "OLD" Testament), which again has several authors many of whom are unknown. The quality of Unknown texts applies equally to the "NEW" testament

None of these points are unknown in those parts of the world that have been literate for millenia

Consider this at the time that these "Holy books" were written they were written in cultures that were "LITERATE" what does that mean?

At the same time the bible was written there were other literate people writing other things so it is possible to compare notes , This is the concept of historicity. So those cultures are not as susceptible as we were in Nigeria 150 years ago to anyone bringing a book and saying "It is written" . "This is the word of God" and that is why you will find that Christianity is even stronger in Africa than anywhere else.

God in the Quran has the typical characteristics of a human being. At times He is happy, at other times irate. He has likes and dislikes, and can be pleased. In short, all the propensities of our weak and unstable human nature, such as love, anger, vengefulness, and even guile, are also experienced by the Supreme Being. Yet if we postulate the existence of a creator and controller of the infinite universe, we must rationally believe him to be exempt from such accidents. We are, therefore, bound to interpret the Quranic attributions of incongruous qualities to the Creator as expressions of the Prophet Mohammad's own human feelings,

ShadowWalker00:
Ok just quote me with the link. Thanks

Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings



Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God

All That's Wrong with the Bible: Contradictions, Absurdities, and More

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T3h-PH2yls

Empiree:
https://www.you

So, what's the point in this?

Do you know that the same text they're running to in their attempt justify their position also said that Abraham live in the land of the Philistines and had close interactions with Egypt.

Do you know what that means?
Abraham did not live near the Hijaz.
Ishmael lived closer to where Abraham lived than Islam wants to portray.
Ishmael married from Egypt, a closer place than Islam wants to claim.
Mohamed, IF HE WERE A DESCENDANT OF ISHMAEL, may not be an Arab after all.

sagenaija:

So, what's the point in this?

Do you know that the same text they're running to in their attempt justify their position also said that Abraham live in the land of the Philistines and had close interactions with Egypt.

Do you know what that means?
Abraham did not live near the Hijaz.
Ishmael lived closer to where Abraham lived than Islam wants to portray.
Ishmael married from Egypt, a closer place than Islam wants to claim.
Mohamed, IF HE WERE A DESCENDANT OF ISHMAEL, may not an Arab after all.

You know better than him right?. Go and argue with the rabbi in the video.

Empiree:
You know better than him right?. Go and argue with the rabbi in the video.

You posted the video for a reason; didn't you?
There's no point in being selective in using a book.
When a person, NO MATTER his position or intelligence, approaches an issue with a preconceived stand, the likelihood of missing out the big picture is there.
Just like you, because the rabi has a dislike (or do we call it phobia) for Christianity he will bring in his bias into his interpretation.

Was Ishmael Abraham's son? Yes
Was he sent out of the house with his mother at a point? Yes
Did God approve of it? Yes
Why did God allow it? This is where your biases now come in and you want to attempt to twist history. A history written without bias and at a time when there was no need for any misinformation or disinformation.

It is clear, HOPEFULLY, that we all agree that Abraham was not an Arab. So, how did any of his descendants transform into being an Arab?
This can only happen when Islam and her apologists, in seeking credibility, attempts to twist history to suit its narrative.