To Raqib about "unmolested" Koran
Reader comment on article: The Pope and the Koran
in response to reader comment: Reply to Lactantius

Submitted by Plato (United Arab Emirates), Dec 19, 2006 at 02:37

Lactantius Jr. has given a good and reasoned reply to Brother Raquib regarding "uncorrupted" and "science" in the Koran but let me also add my two cents worth because quite a lot of Muslims seem to almost base their faith on these two so called facts.

"Thanks to Allah, He has revealed the Qur'an in Arabic. Allah knew that if the Qur'an was revealed in other language then the corruptors would have defiled it just the way it was done to Holy Bible."

Now let us examine that statement of yours Brother Raquib. It is pregnant with 'meaning' and needs a close look:

Did Allah not know when he revealed the Bible in Koenic or Aramaic or in whatever language that it would be corrupted. If he knew that it would be corrupted if revealed in any language other than Arabic why did he not reveal it in Arabic in the first place? (God only knows or it is not our place to ask?) It very simply means that he did not know that his holy words would get corrupted if revealed in any other language. Ergo your God is unable to look into the future! You have placed a limitation on god's powers. Otherwise you are trying to have your cake and eat it too. That trick you will have to leave to God. How many millions of poor souls have ended up in hell because God or Allah had no power to foresee what would happen to his holy words.

And when you say 'corruptors would have defiled it the way it was done to the Holy Bible' what you are implying is that mere humans have the power to defile god's own words. How can you demean the great and powerful God or Allah in such a manner. How in God's name can humans defile God's Holy Words? If God could not prevent his words not being corrupted when revealed in non-Arabic languages what is the assurance that it was or will not be corrupted in Arabic.

The original Koran, you must know, was written without diacritical marks and it is only much later that they were added. Unless of course you believe that the people who put in those marks were divinely guided to reflect what God meant. (And did the tablet preserved in heaven change from a book without diacritical marks at the time of revelation to one with diacritical marks when they were inserted on earth? How else could the two be identical?)

"When we had debate about the Quran and Science, he had presented me with various translated verses of Qur'an by varies translators....To understand Qur'an one has to learn Arabic. Those non muslims who learned Arabic and then read Qur'an, surely you will get the answers from them."

Brother Raqib please read the above quote I have taken from your post. When Brother Lactantius presented you with those ten translations he was showing you the differences in the meaning given by the various translators. Now if these great scholars of Arabic and the Koran are confused about the real meaning of the verse (or verses) how can anybody be sure of the meaning of the Koran? Do you expect the man on the street to spend years and years studying Koranic Arabic. Or do you want the entire world to morph into Arabs?

You also say: "Find a single verse in Qur'an which is unscientific. Find a single verse which is wrong." OKAY. Now look at the science in the Koran in the following two sentences taken from your postings. You are saying that the sun is moving at enormous speed towards some star in one posting and in the next one you are saying that the Koran says that the sun rotates in its resting position. NOW IS IT ROTATING IN A RESTING POSITION OR IS IT ROTATING WHILE MOVING AT ENORMOUS SPEED?

According to the calculation made by modern physicists, the sun is traveling at enormous speed of 17,280,000km/day in the direction of the star Vega in a particular orbit, solar epics.

This is from your post of Nov. 9

However one verse in the Qur'an says that : And the Sun, Runs unto a resting place, For Him: that is The decree of (Him), The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing. Holy Qur'an, Chapter 36, Verse: 38. Modern astronomers found, using modern technology that sun rotates, in its resting position. Indeed, Holy Qur'an is the words of Allah (God).

And this is from your post of Nov. 3

And what about this from your Nov 9 post? "And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-knowing?, (Surah Ya?sin, 38)." How much intelligence does it take to realise that what the Koran is saying is that that sun goes and rests ie does not move, unless my understanding of resting is entirely different from yours. Can you plead mistranslation about this sentence?

I am just another knowledge seeker like you. Please enlighten me about the errors in my understanding.

Plato

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited, before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments.