Issued by: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Ripe Dates

Published in March 15, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … I was wondering if 19:25 refers to the fact that palm dates were known at the time and place Christ was born; some claim that palm dates were never known at Palestine at the time. Is that true? …

Answer:            

 God says in the Quran about Mary, within the scene of her giving birth to Jesus: "And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you."" (19:25). This means that palm trees and dates existed long eras before the birth of Christ in Palestine. This verse contains a scientific miracle as well; ripe dates are very beneficial for pregnant women and for them after they deliver their children. Scientists have proven this fact. Until now in Egyptian rural villages, peasants use ripe dates and pressed dates to feed and nurture women after the delivery of their babies, and they cook pressed dates with home-made ghee. Besides, this Quranic verse provides us with proof that Jesus was born in summertime and NOT in wintertime (i.e., never in Dec. or Jan. as Christians have assumed), as ripe dates appear in the palm-trees only in the summers.

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Pilgrimage and Forgiveness

Published in March 4, 2013

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is it true that those who perform pilgrimage to Mecca will have all their sins and trespasses forgiven by God? or is this notion a Sunnite myth? … Thank you  …  

Answer:

   It is a myth certainly; nothing of the kind is mentioned in the Quran. This myth makes evil people sin all their life and perform pilgrimage at their old age as if to remove all their past sins. This is very ridiculous of course. Besides, pardoning and forgiveness from God to human beings are not in their lifetimes on earth, but on the Last Day; and God will forgive and pardon ONLY those who repent sincerely and performed lots of good deeds while staying away from polytheism by dedicating their worship and faith exclusively to God in piety. Hence, this attaining of piety is of vital importance; Paradise is only for the pious ones after all, as per the Quran. indeed, the pious ones are those who repent sincerely and truly from their sins and dedicate their acts of worship and their good deeds devoutly and reverently only to God.    

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Feet and Ablution

Published in March 13, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Regarding performance of ablution before prayers in the Quranic verse 5:6, I was wondering if we are to wash our feet even the sole under them, or the verse means to wash only the upper feet till ankles … Thank you for your time …      

Answer:

 We refer you to previous repeated fatwas about performing ablution; we think ease and facilitation are required and it is OK to wash your feet thoroughly under and above them with lots of water or only from the above with little water; it is up to you. You can even get a bath or a shower instead if you like. At the same time, it is not wrong to wash feet from the above area till ankles (with little or much water) and leaving the soles. What is far more important is to perform prayers in piety; please remember that ablution is not an act of worship in itself or in isolation, but it is a prelude linked directly to the performance of prayers. 

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Exposing Shiites and Sufis

Published in March 13, 2017

Question: … Dear Dr. Mansour, … Why don't you produce YouTube videos exposing notions of Shiites and Sufis as you've done with your delightful videos titled "Exposing Salafism"?  … Thank you …     

Answer:

   Of course, we wish we can do this soon enough; what you ask is easy to be done by us, as books of the Shiite and Sufi religions are filled with excellent material for endless laughter and ridicule that need to be exposed and debunked in videos for all to watch. It would be enough to fill so many episodes even if we would focus only on the seminal Shiite authoritative book titled "Al-Kafi" by Al-Kulayni and the two Sufi books "Al-Tabakat Al-Kobra" by Al-Shaarany and Ehiaa Olom Eddine" by Al-Ghazaly. Yet, the problem preventing us from producing these videos now is that we are impecunious. 

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The Maker

Published in March 14, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Can we, Quranists, describe Almighty God as the Maker? … Would this not be contradictory with the descriptions of God in the Quran? … Thank you …    

Answer:

     Please wait for a forthcoming book of ours to be published online soon about Quranic Epithets and Names of God and how to avoid blasphemy against His Names. This book will answer lots of questions about this topic. 

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Prayers of Noah

Published in March 14, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Does the Quranic verse 71:26 refer to certain prayers or prophecy that will be fulfilled? Can one utter this prayers and wish for it? Or is it for reflection and contemplation like Quranic stories in general? What does 71:26 mean exactly in your opinion?… Thank you for your time …    

Answer:

 God says in the Quran that Noah said: "Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave of the unbelievers a single dweller on earth." (71:26). This is not a Quranic prophecy or prediction at all; we assert again that Quranic stories are not source of legislation. This verse contains only an invocation or prayers of Noah to God within certain conditions and era related to the lifetime and story of Noah in the Quran. hence, you cannot use 71:26 to utter it to invoke or supplicate God to smite some people, for instance, as this verse does not apply to the future as you may have presumed.   

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We Dearly Wish it

Published in March 14, 2017

Question:  … Dear Sir, … I hope very much that one day, you would write a book on topics like fate, angels, Jinn, and the Quranic view about major sins and small sins as per Quranic sharia legislation… Thank you in advance …      

Answer:

  We dearly wish and hope to have enough time to complete and publish online researches and books we are currently writing covering the topics you mention.

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Adam and his Wife and Polytheism

Published in March 15, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Do the Quranic verses 7:189-190 refer to Adam and his wife? Did they commit another sin apart from eating from the forbidden tree?… Thank you …   

Answer:

  God says in the Quran: "It is He who created you from a single person, and made from it its mate, that he may find comfort with her. Then, when he has covered her, she conceives a light load, and she carries it around. But when she has grown heavy, they pray to God their Lord, "if You give us a good child, we will be among the thankful." But when He has given them a good child, they attribute partners to Him in what He has given them. God is exalted above what they associate." (7:189-190). This means that Adam and his wife, after they descended on earth, committed the sin of polytheism (by associating others beside God) when they feared about their first born; we tend to think that their sin was that both sought help and aid from 'holy' associates and partners apart from God, as per our understanding of these verses.

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This Cursed Misunderstanding

Published in January 28, 2016

Question: … Dear Sir, … Does the Quranic verse 3:19 refer to declaring more than 80% of the world population as disbelievers because they do not follow the religion of Muhammad … Thank you …    

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "Religion with God is submission…" (3:19); this verse has been misunderstood; because the word submission in Arabic is the word "Islam", and people thought before that  3:19 refer exclusively to the Quranic message. The Quranic verse 3:19 means simply that the accepted religion of any human being means peace and total submission to God by obeying His commands in the scriptures and dedicating one's acts of worship to God alone. this is the real and only meaning of the word ''Islam'' in the Arabic tongue and in the Quranic tongue terminology. Sadly, people still confound Islam (as a religion in the Quran that means certain teachings, commands, and prohibitions in its text) and 'Muslims', who have their own traditions, history, heritage, and earthly, man-made, fabricated religions that make most of them be called Muhammadans. We have written a lot about real meaning of Islam and our writings warn against such confounding and overlapping, especially when archenemies of the Quran (i.e., Wahabis and their likes) are called 'Islamists'  in media worldwide. We repeat here briefly that we believe that Islam (i.e., peace with people and submission to God) is the only and true religion of God conveyed by all His messengers and prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, in their different tongues. Hence, Paradise is for all those people who during their lifetimes have adhered to piety and peace, in their behaviors and their hearts, thus deserving to enter Paradise, regardless of their races, languages, colors, locations, and eras. God is never unjust toward people nor biased for or against groups of them: "God does not commit an atom's weight of injustice; and if there is a good deed, He doubles it, and gives from His Presence a sublime compensation." (4:40); "We will set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will suffer the least injustice. And even if it be the weight of a mustard-seed, We will bring it up. Sufficient are We as Reckoners." (21:47). The meaning of real Islam (i.e., submission to the will of God) is expressed briefly in these verses: "God bears witness that there is no God but He, as do the angels, and those endowed with knowledge-upholding justice. There is no God but He, the Mighty, the Wise. Religion with God is submission. Those to whom the Scripture was given differed only after knowledge came to them, out of envy among themselves. Whoever rejects the signs of God-God is quick to take account." (3:18-19); "Say, "We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses, and Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit." Whoever seeks other than submission as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers." (3:84-85). This means that submission to God means the testimony inside one's heart that (There is no God but Allah), and this religion fits all human beings. Islam in English is translated best as submission and peace, and this must be understood away from sins, deeds, mistakes, and faulty notions of the Muhammadans who assume themselves as 'Muslims'/submitters.  

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Gender of the Embryo

Published in June 6, 2016

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Does the using of the ultrasound examination to produce a sonogram picture of the embryo would be a violation of the Quranic verse 13:8? … Thank you …     

Answer:

 God says in the Quran: "God knows what every female bears, and every increase and decrease of the wombs. With Him, everything is by measure." (13:8). We infer the following from this Quranic verse: there is no restrictive phrase in it to show that such knowledge is confined to God; this means that it is OK for people to know what is inside wombs by scientific tools. This verse means all female creatures, not just human females, as every creatures (known to human beings or unknown) are of two genders, male and female: "We created all things in pairs, so that you may reflect and ponder." (51:49); "He Who created all the pairs; and provided you with ships, and animals on which you ride." (43:12); "Glory be to Him who created all the pairs; of what the earth produces, and of their own selves, and of what they do not know." (36:36). Indeed, the verse 13:8 contain the word ''what'' this means anything carried outside, inside, or by females in general (even microorganisms, germs, and so on) and not just embryos. Wombs increase and decrease in size as embryos change their size, and scientific tools allow us to see this and to see what is inside wombs, but never about if the embryo would live on or not, be a stillborn or not, be a good person or not, etc. Hence, no tool could make human beings reach omniscience of God. the Quranic verse 13:8 ends in referring to the idea of measure, as God creates everything in precise measures and no one can imitate Him. indeed science makes us feel the wonderful miracle of creation and glorify the Lord the Creator of the universe. Some atheists and disbelievers view science differently as a way to deny God's existence: "They know an outer aspect of the worldly life, but they are heedless of the Hereafter." (30:7); "When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they rejoiced in the knowledge they had, and the very things they used to ridicule besieged them." (40:83).                

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Salvation of Real Believers

Published in September 26, 2013

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Allow me to express deep admiration of your great writings and books that have changed my life … But allow me to pose a question: if your religious and political predictions of mass destruction of the Muhammadans come true one day, would innocent people of the masses be destroyed as well? Is it fair and just to punish them? … Thank you …         

Answer:

  We are not talking here about our own political views, but rather about Quranic point of view regarding destructions of the evil bad nations as per Quranic verses that show how and why that might happen within certain circumstances and conditions; God does not treat people unjustly: "…God wants no injustice for the servants." (40:31); "…God desires no injustice for humankind." (3:108). Human beings are the ones who are really unjust toward themselves: "…We did not wrong them, but they used to wrong their own selves." (16:118); "We did them no injustice, but it was they who were the unjust." (43:76); "We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Their gods, whom they invoked besides God, availed them nothing when the command of your Lord arrived. In fact, they added only to their ruin." (11:101). When God had smitten evildoers, real innocent believers were saved by God "Before you, We sent messengers to their people. They came to them with clear proofs. Then We took revenge on those who sinned. It is incumbent on Us to lend victory to the believers." (30:47); "And We saved Moses and those with him, all together." (26:65); "And Jonah, when he stormed out in fury, thinking We had no power over him. But then He cried out in the darkness, "There is no God but You! Glory to You! I was one of the wrongdoers!" So We answered him, and saved him from the affliction. Thus We save the faithful." (21:87-88); "They planned a plan, and We planned a plan, but they did not notice. So note the outcome of their planning; We destroyed them and their people, altogether. Here are their homes, in ruins, on account of their iniquities. Surely in this is a sign for people who know. And We saved those who believed and were pious." (27:50-53).

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Meeting the Lord on the Last Day

Published in May 5, 2015

Question: … Dear Sir, … Is there a contradiction between hoping to meet with God and the fear of the Day of Resurrection? … What do you think? … Thank you …

Answer:

  God says the following in the Quran: "Those who fear their Lord in private, and are apprehensive of the Hour." (21:49); "It is God who revealed the Book with the truth, and the Balance. And what will make you realize that perhaps the Hour is near? Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it; but those who believe are apprehensive of it, and they know it to be the truth. Absolutely, those who question the Hour are in distant error." (42:17-18). Hence, the really pious believer fear the Last Day: "O people, be conscious of your Lord. The quaking of the Hour is a tremendous thing. On the Day when you will see it: every nursing mother will discard her infant, and every pregnant woman will abort her load, and you will see the people drunk, even though they are not drunk-but the punishment of God is severe." (22:1-2). Hence, the Last Day begins itself with huge fright for all creatures and people. the smaller example of this on earth is people's fright during earthquakes. The Last Day is the one of absolute justice and fairness, and everyone is rewarded as per deeds and faith. Those who long to meet God on the Last Day are those who prepared their souls for standing before the Lord with good deeds and monotheistic faith and wait for God's justice against those who wronged them during their lifetime. Bad persons are those disbelievers, sinners, and aggressors who denied God and the Last Day and their fright will go on for eternity in Hell: "Those who do not expect to meet Us say, "If only the angels were sent down to us, or we could see our Lord." They have grown arrogant within themselves, and have become excessively defiant." (25:21). Hence, there is no contradiction between the first fright of the Resurrection and longing of real believers to meet with God: "…Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and never associate anyone with the service of his Lord" (18:110).     

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Not Rituals

Published in August 14, 2016

Question: … Dear Sir, … A Christian friend of mine mocked performance of ablution as strange ritual done without thinking or reasoning not for cleanliness … Does taking a shower replace performing ablution? Or is ablution an obligatory ritual even when one is clean? As a Quranist, I read your article in which you mention that performing ablution may not have been known before the advent of the Quranic revelation … Does this means that people following Abraham's religion used to pray without washing up?! What is your own view? … Thank you …     

Answer:

  Thank you, our dearest son, for your good question;  purifying one's body before prayers by performing ablution can be replaced by taking a shower or a bath, even if this bath or shower is taken after having sex with one's spouse. In Islam, one is to perform complete ablution (i.e. showering or taking a bath) as an obligatory duty after having sex with one's spouse, in order to be able to pray. You are not to pose questions to God about why or how people before the Quranic revelation performed prayers without ablution. "He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned." (21:23). Cleaning oneself after sweating, defecating, urinating, etc. is something instinctive and innate to all people worldwide, and need not be learned or taught about through religion. Hence, ablution and complete ablution are never deemed rituals at all, and we advise you not to pay attention to your Christian friends or Muhammadans regarding any Quranic issues.   

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There Is No Contradiction Here

Published in May 16, 2014

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Is there a contradiction within the stance of real believers who fear the Last Day but long very much to meet the Lord God at the same time? … Is there a contradiction within the stance of disbelievers, mentioned in the Quran, who deny the Last Day and hate to meet God but at the same time wish to see the Hour soon … Thank you …   

Answer:

 Real faithful devout pious believers sincerely long to meet with their Lord God: "Say, "I am only a human being like you, being inspired that your God is One. Whoever hopes to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and never associate anyone with the service of his Lord."" (18:110), while disbelievers hate such meeting and desire to avoid it: "Those who do not hope to meet Us, and are content with the worldly life, and are at ease in it, and those who pay no heed to Our verses. These-their dwelling is the Hell-Fire-on account of what they used to do." (10:7-8). Real believers fear the Last Day, while those mocking the Last Day wish it to happen, in their defiance: "It is God who revealed the Book with the truth, and the Balance. And what will make you realize that perhaps the Hour is near? Those who do not believe in it seek to hasten it; but those who believe are apprehensive of it, and they know it to be the truth. Absolutely, those who question the Hour are in distant error." (42:17-18). The believers who will be feeling the frightful earthquake of the Last Day will be among the last generation on the planet: "O people, be conscious of your Lord. The quaking of the Hour is a tremendous thing. On the Day when you will see it: every nursing mother will discard her infant, and every pregnant woman will abort her load, and you will see the people drunk, even though they are not drunk-but the punishment of God is severe." (22:1-2). Hence, real believers in the Quran do their best to maintain their monotheistic faith and perform as many good deeds as possible while avoid sinning as much as possible, and thus, they seek to meet God to be rewarded by Him: "God has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties in exchange for Paradise. They fight in God's way, and they kill and get killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Quran. And who is more true to his promise than God? So rejoice in making such an exchange-that is the supreme triumph. Those who repent, those who worship, those who praise, those who journey, those who kneel, those who bow down, those who advocate righteousness and forbid evil, and those who keep God's limits-give good news to the believers." (9:111-112); "And so their Lord answered them: "I will not waste the work of any worker among you, whether male or female. You are one of another. For those who emigrated, and were expelled from their homes, and were persecuted because of Me, and fought and were killed-I will remit for them their sins, and will admit them into gardens beneath which rivers flow-a reward from God. With God is the ultimate reward."" (3:195).    

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Adam and Names

Published in October 5, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … Could shed more light on the Quranic verse 2:31 in relation to Adam being taught names of all things? … What are these names exactly? … Thanks a lot …     

Answer:

 "And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then he presented them to the angels, and said, "Tell Me the names of these, if you are sincere." They said, "Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. It is you who are the Knowledgeable, the Wise." He said, "O Adam, tell them their names." And when he told them their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?"" (2:31-33). This means, in our opinion, that Adam was taught by God names of angels around him. Adam was distinguished from the angels by knowing names of those around him. Indeed, the progeny of Adam, all human beings, has inhered the ability of acquiring languages fast; children within their first four years have an excellent linguistic abilities, and can learn multiple tongues at the same time. For instance, those foreigners who had settled in Egypt during the royal epoch before 1952 had children born in Egypt who used to speak flawless Egyptian Arabic apart from their native tongue as well as French and English. Hence, we deduce from the story of Adam and the names that small children learn names of things by being taught at the cultural milieu and environment in which they live. God gave us, human beings and not any other creatures or angels, this ability to learn and give names to everything; even when galaxies and planets are discovered in outer space, they have to be named.    

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Fighting of Angels

Published in August 30, 2013

Question: … Dear Sir, … Did angels fought alongside with early believers and Muhammad in their battle of Badr as the Sunnites claim? How? … Thank you …  

Answer:

   Of course not, this is a Sunnite myth. If we would read the Quran objectively with its terminology, we will discern that it describes angels descending during battle as a form of moral support because the number of early believers in battle was less than that of the Qorayish aggressive fighters, not to fight or kill anyone; angels are so mighty that a one of them can smite thousands of people, as we discern from the Quranic stories of nations destroyed upon God's commands. The Sunnite myth of angels fighting is insulting to the early believers, as if they did not achieve victory on their own. The idea of moral support and bringing glad tidings is discerned from these verses: "When you said to the believers, "Is it not enough for you that your Lord has reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?" It is; but if you persevere and remain cautious, and they attack you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, well trained. God made it but a message of hope for you, and to reassure your hearts thereby. Victory comes only from God the Almighty, the Wise." (3:123-126).       

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Torment of Progeny of Polytheists

Published in September 2, 2012

Question: …  Dear Sir, … When God had smitten and destroyed people of Lot, Noah, Aad, Thamood, etc. why their innocent progeny whom had no chance of choosing to believe or to disbelieve were destroyed alongside with them? … Thank you …    

Answer:

  All nations and peoples mentioned in the Quranic stories as destroyed and smitten by God as a punishment were not punished for lack of faith, but rather because they committed many aggressions, act of transgression, violence, and injustice, and persecuted and conspired against early believers and prophets; they insulted God by being stubborn in demanding miracles to see and rejected them after they saw them.  God would never punish and smite them unless they deserve it, and their torment has never struck an innocent child at all, in our opinion, as innocent children went on growing as survivors to continue progeny of Adam within generations after generations upon the face of the earth, after the destruction of the unjust ones.   

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A 'Quranist' Shiite!

Published in March 16, 2017

Question: …  Dear Sir, … Can a believer be a Quranist and a Shiite at the same time? … Thank you for your time …     

Answer:

 This is impossible; Shiites are indeed polytheists who deify, glorify, and sanctify Ali, Fatima, Hussein, Hassan, and their supposed progeny, and would demonize Sunnite gods honored, deified, and sanctified by the Sunnites. Hence, a Shiite can never combine being a Quranist and a Shiite simultaneously. A Quranist never deifies any human beings, dead or alive, prophets or not. A Quranist knows quite well that historical figures, good and bad ones, are NEVER part of religion at all and are not immortal deities. A Quranist denies all hadiths and narratives of all sorts and rejects them as man-made falsehoods, never part of God's religion. A Quranist believes only in one discourse: the Quranic Scripture, as God's Word, and adheres to the belief that the Only Ally and Supporter is God: Allah, and never any associates, saints, and partners worshipped by Shiites, Sufis, and Sunnites.       

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We Do Not Know Except

Published in August 3, 2007

Question: … Dear Sir, … I do not wanna a fatwa, but I'd like to know in detail about history of the last three days of Muhammad's lifetime and the five days after his death from a neutral point of view, in an article written by you …Thank you …    

Answer:

     We do not know except the seven days of the week. If there is anyone who can tackle the Sunnite mythology concerning your point, go ahead and ask him.     

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Please Stop it!

Published in March 16, 2017

Question: … Dear Sir, … Should one while performing ablution begin with the left hand/foot or the right hand/foot? … Other questions of mine also include … … … … … …   

Answer:

  Dear Sir, please stop it; do not send us any more of the silly repeated questions. It makes no difference the way and the order in which you begin to wash your hands and feet during ablution.