Mansoor: Tafsir of Surah 78
Reader comment on item: The Voice of America, Silenced on Radical Islam
in response to reader comment: Plato attention please and all the contributors here!

Submitted by Plato (India), Mar 30, 2009 at 08:52

Mansoor, your truncated post also contains a truncated Sura. This gives me an opportunity to indulge my favourite pastime, trying to figure out what the verses are saying. I will start from beginning. It will give a flavour of the Koranic style of seesawing from one topic to the other and lots of threats and inducements sprinkled throughout and bad science:

>>YUSUF ALI: 078.001 Concerning what are they disputing?
078.002 Concerning the Great News,
078.003 : About which they cannot agree. <<

What is this Great News? Resurrection on Judgment Day? Who can ever agree on this silly concept?

>004 : Verily, they shall soon (come to) know!
078.005 : Verily, verily they shall soon (come to) know! <

Now a threat.

>78.006 : Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, <

Any one who has eyes can see the earth is a wide expanse.

>>78.007 : And the mountains as pegs? <<

Pegs? Allah has no clue to what mountains are

>078.008 : And (have We not) created you in pairs,<

There are many creatures which do not come in pairs. See below:

Parthenogenesis

Main article: Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis is a form of agamogenesis in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual. Parthenogenesis occurs naturally in many plants, invertebrates (e.g. water fleas, aphids, stick insects, some ants, bees and parasitic wasps), and vertebrates (e.g. some reptiles, amphibians, fish, very rarely birds). In plants, apomixis may or may not involve parthenogenesis.

There are examples of parthenogenesis in the hammerhead shark ^[4] and the blacktip shark. ^[5] In both cases, the sharks had reached sexual maturity in captivity in the absence of males, and in both cases the offspring were shown to be genetically identical to the mothers. (Wikipedia)

Since Allah is unaware of asexual reproduction it could mean that some Other Creator created asexual creatures!!!

>078.009 : And made your sleep for rest,
078.010 : And made the night as a covering,
078.011 : And made the day as a means of subsistence? <

The night is a means of sustenance for many animals. And in today's world many humans also find sustenance at night.

>078.012 : And (have We not) built over you the seven firmaments, <

The Seven firmaments claim predates the Koran

>078.013 : And placed (therein) a Light of Splendour?
078.014 : And do We not send down from the clouds water in abundance,

078.015 : That We may produce therewith corn and vegetables,
078.016 : And gardens of luxurious growth? <

Wow! Allah has made a very profound observation!

>078.017 : Verily the Day of Sorting out is a thing appointed,
078.018 : The Day that the Trumpet shall be sounded, and ye shall come forth in crowds;
078.019 : And the heavens shall be opened as if there were doors,
078.020 : And the mountains shall vanish, as if they were a mirage. <

Even if I am destined for Hell this opening of the doors of heaven and people being reassembled in their graves and peering out fearfully is a sight for which all the pummeling in my grave will be worth the pain.

>078.021 : Truly Hell is as a place of ambush,
078.022 : For the transgressors a place of destination:
078.023 : They will dwell therein for ages.<

I know my destination is the choicest place in Hell.

>078.024 : Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink,
078.025 : Save a boiling fluid and a fluid, dark, murky, intensely cold,
078.026 : A fitting recompense (for them). <

After the boiling fluid even a murky one which is intensely cold will be as welcome as a cool sherbet on earth.

>078.027 : For that they used not to fear any account (for their deeds),
078.028 But they (impudently) treated Our Signs as false.<

Why is Allah so shy of showing just one clear sign of His existence? The earth, wind, fire, sun or moon could have been the creation of Satan too (after all he defied Allah, remember?).

>078.029 And all things have We preserved on record.
078.030 "So taste ye (the fruits of your deeds); for no increase shall We grant you, except in Punishment." <

More threats from Allah

>078.031 Verily for the Righteous there will be a fulfilment of (the heart's) desires; <

Here come the bribes for paying your respects to Allah

>078.032 Gardens enclosed, and grapevines;
078.033 And voluptuous women of equal age;
078.034 And a cup full (to the brim).
078.035 No vanity shall they hear therein, nor Untruth:-
078.036 Recompense from thy Lord, a gift, (amply) sufficient, <

I like the part about voluptuous women. But the part about equal age may discourage believers who die when past 80.

>[78:37] (from) the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the All-Merciful. No one will have power to address Him,<

Allah remains undemocratic even when we are in heaven/hell. Everyone must play dumb in his great presence.

>[78:38] on the Day when the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows. They will not speak, except the one who is permitted by the RaHmān (the All-Merciful Allah) and speaks aright.<

This scene reminds me of my school days sitting in rows in class as we waited in trepidation to be singled out by the teacher to spell a word or recite a poem.

>[78:39] That is the Day that is sure to come. So whoever so wishes may take refuge with his Lord.<

This is repeated so many times in the Koran that one suspects the author is Himself not sure of this Day and so has to keep reminding Himself.

[78:40] We have warned you of an approaching torment (that will be inflicted) on a day when one will see what his hands have sent ahead, and the disbeliever will say, ―O would that I had turned into dust.‖

More scary stuff. Just like the rest of the Koran. Mansoor, the Koran is more a book of threats than signs.

Regards

Plato

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