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Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.
Verses 156-160 continue to rehabilitate those who fought less than valiantly at Uhud. They are urged to neither question who died, nor to fear their own death, because of the reward that awaits them in the afterlife. God also urges Mohamed to be lenient with them lest they desert him. When it comes to keeping an army intact, rules seem to be flexible.
Verses 161-180 have an argumentative tone to them. Mohamed must have been accused of withholding war booty, as 161 states, "It is not [attributable] to any prophet that he would act unfaithfully [in regard to war booty]". He (the Qur'an) then launches into an admonition of Muslims who complained about the outcome at Uhud, and hypocrites who falsely promised to fight. Quoting these verses in detail would be even more repetitive than usual, so here is just a sample:
- 165 "When a single disaster smites you, ... you ask from where does this come to us".
- 166 "What ye suffered on the day the two armies Met, was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers".
- 167 "Hypocrites utter with their mouths a thing which is not in their hearts".
- 169 "Count not those who were slain in God's way as dead". The Qur'an would be much shorter if it did not repeat itself so.
- 176-177 are a reassurance that unbelievers can not harm God. They will burn in hell.
- 178 tries to explain further why God did not give the Muslims a victory at Uhud as He did at Badr, "And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a disgracing torment". Apparently it is not enough that they have spent their lives to that point in mortal sin. They must, for no obvious reason, marinate further, although I fail to see how giving the pagans time to accumulate more sin could increase their punishment by more than the eternal fire they already have waiting for them. An excuse this weak could only come from a man desperately manufacturing excuses from thin air rather than from an all-powerful god.
- 179 "God left the believers in their existing state for no other reason than to distinguish the evil-doers from the virtuous ones". This is the sixth verse that says the events at Uhud were meant as a test. I suspect that the number of times a proclamation is repeated is directly proportional to the number of times doubt was expressed about it.
In short, the Battle of Uhud did not go well for three reasons:
1. Some in the Muslim army abandoned their post due to greed.
2. God allowed a near outright defeat in order to test the faithful and to teach them a lesson.
3. God wanted to give the unbelievers more time to fall further into sinfulness.
Verses 181-184 are another attack on the Jews, who are accused of bragging of their riches while calling God poor, and of rejecting Mohamed's claim of prophethood and therefore Islam - a charge of which they were guilty. They dared to remain Jewish. Two of these verses return to accusing them of travelling through time and killing the still unnamed prophets of old.
Verses 156-160 continue to rehabilitate those who fought less than valiantly at Uhud. They are urged to neither question who died, nor to fear their own death, because of the reward that awaits them in the afterlife. God also urges Mohamed to be lenient with them lest they desert him. When it comes to keeping an army intact, rules seem to be flexible.
Verses 161-180 have an argumentative tone to them. Mohamed must have been accused of withholding war booty, as 161 states, "It is not [attributable] to any prophet that he would act unfaithfully [in regard to war booty]". He (the Qur'an) then launches into an admonition of Muslims who complained about the outcome at Uhud, and hypocrites who falsely promised to fight. Quoting these verses in detail would be even more repetitive than usual, so here is just a sample:
- 165 "When a single disaster smites you, ... you ask from where does this come to us".
- 166 "What ye suffered on the day the two armies Met, was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers".
- 167 "Hypocrites utter with their mouths a thing which is not in their hearts".
- 169 "Count not those who were slain in God's way as dead". The Qur'an would be much shorter if it did not repeat itself so.
- 176-177 are a reassurance that unbelievers can not harm God. They will burn in hell.
- 178 tries to explain further why God did not give the Muslims a victory at Uhud as He did at Badr, "And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a disgracing torment". Apparently it is not enough that they have spent their lives to that point in mortal sin. They must, for no obvious reason, marinate further, although I fail to see how giving the pagans time to accumulate more sin could increase their punishment by more than the eternal fire they already have waiting for them. An excuse this weak could only come from a man desperately manufacturing excuses from thin air rather than from an all-powerful god.
- 179 "God left the believers in their existing state for no other reason than to distinguish the evil-doers from the virtuous ones". This is the sixth verse that says the events at Uhud were meant as a test. I suspect that the number of times a proclamation is repeated is directly proportional to the number of times doubt was expressed about it.
In short, the Battle of Uhud did not go well for three reasons:
1. Some in the Muslim army abandoned their post due to greed.
2. God allowed a near outright defeat in order to test the faithful and to teach them a lesson.
3. God wanted to give the unbelievers more time to fall further into sinfulness.
Verses 181-184 are another attack on the Jews, who are accused of bragging of their riches while calling God poor, and of rejecting Mohamed's claim of prophethood and therefore Islam - a charge of which they were guilty. They dared to remain Jewish. Two of these verses return to accusing them of travelling through time and killing the still unnamed prophets of old.