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[W:146]**The Qur'an in chronological order.

Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Surah 49 sets rules of conduct when in the company of Mohamed, and urges believers to respect each other:
- 2 "Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet".
- 3 "Those who lower their voices in the presence of God's Messenger, those are they whose hearts God has tested for godfearing".
- 9 "If two parties among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them".
- 11 "Believers, let not a group of you mock another".
- 12 "avoid suspicion [of each other]".

Interspersed with the above are verses that use these calls for solidarity within the ummah (Muslim community) to remind Muslims of their common foe, and of their duty to fight them:
- 7 shows that any belief other than Islam is not merely wrong or misguided, but hateful, "He has made hateful to you unbelief".
- 15 reinforces that monotheism and Mohamed's role as prophet are the fundamental tenets that separates believers from unbelievers, and that a state of jihad exists between them, "The believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger ... and who strive hard [jihadu] for the cause of God with their property and persons".
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Surah 66 begins with an account of a dispute between Mohamed and his wives in which he claims God snitched on them for repeating secrets. It ends with God telling Mohamed's wives to be more like Mary, and less like Lot's wife. I imagine Mohamed won that argument since he literally had God on his side.

During the compilation of this surah, verses of a more serious nature seem to have arbitrarily been inserted into the middle of Mohamed's domestic squabble, and then without missing a beat, it goes back to the original subject. I have no other explanation for the content of verses 6-9, which launch into extremely stern warnings of Hell to believers who deviate. Perhaps he witnessed some conduct that he felt needed to be nipped in the bud:
- 6 "Believers, guard yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh, terrible angels".
- 8 "O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance".
- 9 "O Prophet! Strive [jihad] hard against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell,- an evil refuge". In the Muhammad Sarwar version, 'jihad' is translated as 'fight'. I feel it is important to point out how frequently 'jihad' is used in place of 'qatl', as there are any many who would have the world believe that 'jihad' refers primarily to a Muslim's internal struggle against temptation, known as 'the greater jihad'. Fighting is often called 'the lesser jihad'.

Surah 64 does not need to exist as it simply restates the great dichotomy on which the entire Qur'an is based, "among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer (2)". One will go to Heaven, and the other to Hell.

Surah 61, although short at only 14 verses, demonstrates the degree to which Islam has become a warrior religion. It gets back to the business of demanding that Muslims fight for the cause of God, and in the process, makes a spectacular claim about Jesus. Verses 2-4 reveal an angry man who continues to rail against those who profess to be Muslim, but avoid fighting, despite Mohamed's constant insistence that God expects it of them:
- 2 "Believers, why do you preach what you do not practice"?
- 3 "It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do".
- 4 "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure".

Verses 5-6 say that Mohamed encountered skepticism similar to that faced by Moses and Jesus. However, in making this complaint, the Qur'an casually adds a claim that would come as a shock to Christians; that Jesus predicted the prophethood of Mohamed:
- 5 "Moses said unto his people: Why do you persecute me, when you know that I am God's messenger"?
- 6 "Jesus, the son of Mary, said: 'Children of Israel! I am the messenger of God (sent) to you, confirming the Law before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad' [a variation of Mohamed], but when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, 'This is obvious magic'".

At this point in the evolution of Islam, the increased militancy happening on the ground is reflected and encouraged by the verses of the Qur'an. The remainder of surah 61 is a blatant demonizing of unbelievers coupled with commands to fight and conquer them. As always, Heaven awaits those who fight:
- 7 "who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah untruth while he is being invited to Islam"?
- 8 "They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths".
- 9 "It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may make it prevail over all religion".
- 11 "believe in Allah and His Messenger, and struggle [jihad] hard in Allah's way with your property and your lives".
- 12 "God will forgive your sins and admit you into Paradise".
- 13 indicate that God is done with 'alternating victory', as it offers, "help from Allah and a victory near at hand".
- 14 draws a parallel between the aid God gave the Jews 600 years previously with the promise of help he was now promising to Muslims, "A group of the Israelites believed in him [Jesus] and others rejected him. We helped the believers against their enemies and they became victorious".

Note that verse 9 clearly states Mohamed's mission was to make Islam "prevail over all religion". If that claim were made in the context of preaching and proselytizing instead of making war, Islam would not have a military component to it. In fact, the early spread of Islam was almost entirely achieved through force of arms - exactly as demanded by God.
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

With only four surahs left, I will no longer summarize repetitious verses unless they contribute to the flow of a theme.

The chronology of surah 62 is uncertain, but its target is not. Verses 5-8 direct more derision at Jews. Perhaps they were revealed to rouse the faithful before one of many attacks on a Jewish tribe:
- 5 can only be described as hate-speech and incitement, "The similitude of those who were charged with the (obligations of the) Mosaic Law [Jews], but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is that of a donkey which carries huge tomes (but understands them not). Evil is the similitude of people who falsify the Signs of Allah: and Allah guides not people who do wrong".
- 6-7 invite Jews to welcome death if they have God's favor as they claim, "Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are truthful. But they will never long for it because of all that their own hands have sent before, and Allah is Aware of evil-doers".
- 8 completes the usual cycle of cause and effect by warning Jews that death and God's judgement will eventually find them.

At first glance, verses 6-7 may appear hypocritical in telling Jews to welcome death as God's chosen people without making the same suggestion to Muslims. However, no such hypocrisy exists, as the Qur'an does indeed exhort Muslims to desire death, as long as that death occurs in battle (3:143).
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Surah 48 is next according to the sources I am using. However, its content is thought to concern Mohamed's first attempted pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca and the subsequent Treaty of Hudaybiyyah he signed with the Meccans, whereas surah 57, which was supposedly revealed 17 surahs earlier, speaks of the conquest of Mecca one year after this treaty was signed. I find it odd that this level of confusion exists considering the number of people who would have known the chronology at the time:
- 1 is anything but specific. Various Islamic scholars claim it refers to the signing of the treaty as opposed to a victory in battle, "Surely We have given you a clear victory".
- 2-6 promise God will help the believers and punish the unbelievers.

Verses 8-17 are again directed at the bedouins (hypocrites) who pledged allegiance, but then refused to fight:
- 10 "Any one who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul".
- 11 "They say what is not in their hearts".
- 12 "you were corrupt".
- 15 accuses them of only wanting to join when war booty is to be taken.
- 16 tells the bedouins to expect further calls to arms, but more importantly to the rest of the world, reaffirms Islam's goal to fight unbelievers until they submit to Islamic rule, "You will be called against a folk of mighty prowess, to fight them until they surrender". This was probably a specific reference to the Meccans.
- 17 ends this series with the most predictable of warnings, "whoever turns away - He will punish him".

Verses 18-27 speak of Mohamed's followers who supported him when they had traveled together from Medina and met with a contingent of pagan Meccans "under the tree" at Hudaybiyyah. They were intent upon performing a pilgrimage, but the Meccans did not allow them to enter the city. It was here that the treaty was struck that called for 10 years of peace and would allow the Muslims to perform their pilgrimage the following year. This was the "great victory". God was so pleased with the Muslims who stood by Mohamed that he promised them much war booty in battles to come while assuring them that this failed mission to visit the Kaaba is all part of the plan:
- 18 "Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree".
- 19 "And much war booty which they will take".
- 20-21 "God has promised that you will receive much booty, and other [unnamed] spoils". When I read of these plans to plunder the wealth of others, I feel they could just as easily come from any pirate on the high seas. I just do not see the difference. It also highlights God's inconsistent position on spoils of war as previously discussed. At different times he offers spoils, complains when fighters seem too interested in them, calls them rightful and to be enjoyed, chides those who seek to do just that, and then again dangles them as prizes. I see this vacillation as a trait of a man who says what he needs as the situation dictates rather than of a perfect and consistent god.
- 22-27 reassure the faithful that God kept the Muslims and Meccans from fighting each other, "It is He who restrained their hands from you, and your hands from them (24)", and that they will be able to perform a pilgrimage next year, "you shall most certainly enter the Sacred Mosque (26)".

The final two verses of surah 48 summarize the mission of Islam in concise and chilling terms:
- 28 "It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion to make it prevail over all other religions".
- 29 "Mohamed is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves".
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Islamic scholars dispute several aspects of Surah 5, starting with the number of verses it contains. My Yusuf Ali copy breaks it into 123 verses, while the online site packs it into only 120 verses. Therefore, anyone who researches this surah should expect to see some variation in that regard. I will use the 120 verse model. It was revealed during a pilgrimage, and therefore definitely after the conquest of Mecca.

The first 5 verses are concerned mostly with pilgrimage rules, but also include four significant statements:
- 3 starts and ends with dietary restrictions and rules. However, in the middle it confirms that the Meccans have been completely subdued and are no longer to be feared, "This day those who disbelieve have despaired of (defeating) your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me". This is followed by a single sentence that many believe to be the last revelation of the Qur'an, "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion". I find it odd that these two statements were inserted, utterly out of context, in the middle of a verse that tells Muslims what they are allowed to eat.
- 4 keeps with the dietary theme, but in the process, includes a statement that has ramifications for the modern world regarding the 'allowance' of working dogs, "If you train dogs ... it is lawful for you to eat the animals that they hunt". Many claim that dogs are 'forbidden' in Islam in defense of Muslims taxi drivers who refuse to allow support dogs into their cabs, but this verse clearly shows that early Muslims used them for hunting. If they were not considered 'forbidden' in the time of Mohamed, I see no justification for saying they should be now.
- 5 is at the same time informative and confusing (to me). First, as an aside, it typifies the male-centric tone of the Qur'an as it assumes men are the benefactors of its injunctions unless otherwise stated. This verse tells them they are allowed to marry, "chaste Muslim women and chaste women among the People of the Book [Jews and Christians]". While I find it telling that no similar instruction is given to women, the underlined phrase is more intriguing to me as it contradicts instructions given in several verses such as 3:28, "Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends, rather than the believers, for whoso does that belongs not to God in anything". If Muslims are not supposed to have non-Muslim friends, I cannot imagine it would be acceptable for them to have non-Muslim wives.
 
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Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Verses 6-11 give rules for cleanliness when performing a pilgrimage, but even then, and apropos of nothing, it includes a reminder that all unbelievers will burn in Hell, "Those who disbelieve and deny Our signs are the companions of Hellfire (10)".

Verses 12-89 launch another attack on Jews and Christians. With the pagans of Mecca finally subdued, the Qur'an turns its attention to the "People of the Book". Jews are again asked to account for the blasphemous actions of their ancestors from the time of Moses, and both are damned for their refusal to accept Mohamed as the last in the line of God's prophets:
- 13 begins with a reference to the ancient Jews, and concludes by stating that most of them continue to be treacherous, "For their disregard of their solemn covenant with God, We condemned the Israelites and made their hearts hard as stone. Now they displace the words of God and have forgotten their share of the guidance that they had received. Still you receive news of the treachery of all but a few of them". It goes on to say, "Forgive and ignore them", although Mohamed did neither. He saw to it that they were permanently driven from the Arabian Peninsula.
- 14 makes a similar accusation against Christians, "[Christians] made a covenant, but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished".
- 15 "There has come to you Our Messenger ... There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book".
- 17 removes all doubt that Christians are damned unless they abandon the primary tenet of Christianity that Jesus, as the son of God, is divine, "They have certainly disbelieved who say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary". When read in Arabic, the key word here is 'kafara'. It comes from the root 'kafir', which is used throughout the Qur'an to denote the disbelief that will cause God to consign one to Hell.
- 18 "And (both) the Jews and the Christians say, 'We are the children of Allah and His loved ones'. Say [to them, Mohamed], 'Why then does He punish you for your sins'".
- 19 continues to pressure Jews and Christians to follow Mohamed into Islam, "People of the Book, Our Messenger has come to you to guide you".
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

After retelling the story of Moses in verses 20-26, the Qur'an recounts the story of Cain and Abel in 27-46. In describing the murder of Abel, the Qur'an reveals one of its most quoted, and misquoted, passages. Those who want to depict Islam as a religion of peace frequently cite the first part of verse 32, but tell a half truth by redacting a conditional phrase, thereby changing its message.

The entire passage reads, "For that cause [the killing of Abel] We decreed for the Children of Israel [Jews] that whoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption [fasad] in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind". The deception lies in the quoting of it minus the underlined caveat, which amounts to telling a lie of omission.

The key to understanding that unbelievers are exempt from the prohibition of killing lies in the meaning of the Arabic word 'fasad'. In its various forms (verb, noun, participle) it appears 50 times in the Qur'an, and is translated as 'corruption' and synonyms thereof. Given that the entire Qur'an is based on delineating the difference between belief and disbelief, and given the context in which 'fasad' is used, it is obvious that it is a synonym for disbelief. For example:
- 8:73 not only ties 'fasad' to disbelief, but shows it as being synonymous with 'fitnah', "As for the unbelievers, they are friends one of another. Unless you [Muslims] do this [unite], there will be persecution [fitnah] in the land and great corruption [fasad]".
- 16:88 is another direct link to disbelief, "Those that disbelieve and bar from the way of God ... they were doing corruption [fasad]".
- 38:28 is a rhetorical question meant to highlight that believers (Muslims) are superior to those who commit 'fasad', "Shall We make those who believe and do righteous deeds as [equals to] the workers of corruption [fasad] in the earth".

The previous verse only implies that those who commit 'fasad' are not exempt from being killed, but 5:33 removes all doubt by stating explicitly that they are to be killed or punished, "The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief [fasad] in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land". Verse 32 when read alone, and in redacted form, is the very picture of peace and harmony, but when read in full and with verse 33, is just another example of Islam calling for the blood of unbelievers.
 
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Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

After reminding Muslims in verses 35-37 of their duty to wage jihad, "Do your duty to Allah ... strive [jihad] in His Cause", and consigning unbelievers to eternity in "the fire" one more time, "Their wish will be to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom", verse 38 legislates Islam's infamous punishment for thieves, "cut off their hands".

Verses 41-43 make claims against Jews that would undoubtedly qualify as hate speech if they were not taken from Islam's holy book, and therefore exempted by freedom of religion laws:
- 41 "...Jews, men who will listen to any lie ... They change the words from their (right) times and places".
- 42 "Listeners for the sake of falsehood. Greedy for illicit gain".
- 43 "For they are not People of Faith".
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

The primary message directed at Jews and Christians in this series of verses is that all scriptures from God, starting with the Old Testament, are a trilogy. They are repeatedly told to embrace the third installment, the Qur'an, or fall short of God's expectations. They must accept Islam as the culmination of God's communications, and therefore Mohamed as their new spiritual leader. They must become Muslims. Failure to do so will result in conflict in this life, followed by a fiery after-life. As we have already seen, God is not reluctant to repeat Himself as the following verses demonstrate:
- 44 "Whoso judges not according to what God has sent down [including the Qur'an] - they are the unbelievers".
- 45 "Whoso judges not by that which Allah has revealed [including the Qur'an]: such are wrong-doers".
- 48 "We have revealed the Book to you [Mohamed]".
- 49 "You [Mohamed] must judge among them by what God has revealed [including the Qur'an]".

Verses 51-53 restate that Islam's primary foes are Jews, Christians, hypocrites, and pagans, and there exists the danger that they will unite against the Muslims:
- 51 "Believers, do not consider the Jews and Christians as your intimate friends for they are only friends with each other. Whoever does so will be considered as one of them. God does not guide the unjust people".
- 52 "Those in whose hearts is a disease [hypocrites] - you see how eagerly they run about amongst them [Jews and Christians]".
- 53 "The believers will say, 'What, are these the ones who swore by God that they were with you [Mohamed]'?".

Mohamed must have continued to harbor doubts about the level of commitment of some of his fighters, as verse 54 threatens that God will replace them, "O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting [jihad] in the Way of Allah". The message is clear; either fight or give up your spot in God's heart, and therefore Heaven.

However, even more important to me than the warning to potentially reluctant fighters is the treatment that two highly respected translators, Yusuf Ali and Mohsin Khan, give to this verse. The word they translate as 'fighting' is a conjugation of 'jihad' rather than 'qatl'. The other five were more exact in using 'striving'. Apparently Ali and Khan felt that since the context in which this verse was delivered so clearly involved warfare, they might as well acknowledge that fact. Hence, 'fighting'.
 
Re: The Qur'an in chronological order.

Verses 55-57 continue to remind Muslims of which side they are on:
- 55 "Your guardian can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe".
- 56 "One whose guardians are God, His Messenger ,and the true believers should know that God's party will certainly triumph".
- 57 "Believers, do not consider those among the People of the Book and the unbelievers who mock at your religion and treat it as useless, as your protectors".

As the campaigns of conquest continue, the troops are fed a steady diet of hate lest they begin to think for themselves and perhaps wonder whether Mohamed's targets might be worthy of something less than subjugation and/or annihilation:
- 58 "when you call to prayer they make it a mockery and a joke".
- 59 "Say [Mohamed], 'O people of the Book! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah, and the revelation that has come to us [the Qur'an] and that which came before, and that most of you are rebellious and disobedient'?".
- 60 "Say, 'Should I tell you who will receive the worst punishment from God? Those whom God has condemned, afflicted with His anger, made apes out of them [Jews], swine, and worshipers of Satan, will have the worst dwelling'?".
- 61 "When they come to you, they say: 'We believe'. But in fact they enter with disbelief and they go out with the same".
- 62 "You can see many of them competing with each other in sin, hostility, and in taking usury [Jews]. What they had been doing is certainly evil".
- 63 "Why do the rabbis and religious scholars not forbid them from saying what is sinful and devouring what is unlawful [usury]? How wretched is what they have been practicing".
- 64 "The Jews say: 'Allah's hand is tied up.' Be their hands tied up and be they accursed for the (blasphemy) they utter. Nay, both His hands are widely outstretched: He gives and spends as He pleases. But the revelation that comes to you from Allah [the Qur'an] increases in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. Among them We have placed enmity and hatred till the Day of Judgment. Every time they kindle the fire of war, Allah does extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief [fasad] on earth. And Allah loves not those who do mischief".
- 65 "if only the People of the Scripture had believed and feared Allah, We would have removed from them their misdeeds and admitted them to Gardens of Pleasure".
- 66 provides a small concession, "Among them are a moderate community [see verse 69 below], but many of them – evil is that which they do".
- 67 tells Mohamed to continue preaching the Qur'an as God will protect him "from the [unbelieving] people".
- 68 "[Mohamed], tell the People of the Book, 'You have nothing unless you follow the Old and New Testaments and that which God has revealed to you [the Qur'an].' Whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord will only increase their disbelief and rebellion. Do not grieve for the unbelieving people". God tells Mohamed to preach the Qur'an to Jews and Christians, and then says it will not make any difference.

Verse 69, "The believers, Jews, Sabaeans, and the Christians who believe in God and the Day of Judgment and who do what is right will have nothing to fear nor will they be grieved", when read without context sounds conciliatory towards other beliefs. However, when read with the previous verse which tells them they must believe in the Qur'an, we again see that to "believe in God", and to "do what is right" is to accept Islam.
 
The harangue continues:
- 70 "We made a covenant with the Israelites and sent Messengers to them. Whenever a Messenger came to them with a message which did not suit their desires, they would reject some of the Messengers and kill others". The identities of those messengers killed by the Jews will apparently never be revealed.
- 71 "They were blind and deaf in their pride, thinking themselves (to be the chosen nation of God) and thus safe from calamities. God forgave them but many of them out, of pride, again became blind and deaf".
- 72 "They disbelieve who say Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah said: 'O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoso ascribes partners to Allah, for him Allah has forbidden paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers'". Christians, by this definition, are "evil-doers".
- 73-74 pile on further, "They surely disbelieve who say Allah is the third of three; when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger".
- 78-80 "Curses were pronounced by David and Jesus on those among the Children of Israel who rejected Faith because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses. They did not prevent one another from wrongdoing. How wretched was that which they were doing. You have seen many of them establishing friendship with the unbelievers [pagans]. Vile is what their souls have gained! They have invoked the wrath of God upon themselves and they will live forever in torment".
- 81 brings us back to the Jews of Mohamed's time and clearly states that their sin is in not accepting Mohamed and the Qur'an, "If only they had believed in Allah, in the Prophet, and in what hath been revealed to him, [the Qur'an] never would they have taken them [pagans] for friends and protectors, but most of them are rebellious wrong-doers".

Verse 82 makes two claims. The first follows logically from the previous verse, "Strongest among men in enmity to the believers are the Jews and Pagans". The second is on the surface a clear contradiction of several verses that describe Christians as unbelievers, and therefore as enemies, "and nearest among them in love to the believers are those who say, 'We are Christians', because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant". Verses 83-85 clear up any confusion caused by this statement, "When they listen to that which has been revealed to the messengers, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. And why should we not believe in Allah and what has come to us of the truth [including the Qur'an]"? So, we again see that this only applies to Christians who become Muslims.

Verse 86 completes this section with a message for those who may have missed it the first few hundred times, "Those who disbelieved and denied Our revelations will be the dwellers of Hell".
 
Verses 87-109 are mostly unremarkable and generic reminders to, "obey Allah and obey the messenger". Gambling and alcohol are strictly forbidden in 90-91, "Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside ... Satan's plan is to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?". This is a direct contradiction of verse 2:219 which says drink and gambling are allowed if all other obligations have been met.

This surah, "The table spread with food", is named for the Last Supper of Jesus. Verse 110 begins this final section of surah 5 with a claim, unsupported by the bible, that Jesus spoke from the cradle. This is followed by several reminders that Jesus performed miracles, but only as God's conduit, rather than by his own divine power, "You did heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission". The phrase, "by My permission", is used four times to reinforce that Jesus was merely a prophet.

Verse 111 has the disciples claiming to be Muslims, but as I explained with verse 2:128, this only means they have submitted to God. It does not mean they claimed to be adherents of a religion not yet created. Verses 112-115 describe God providing the Last Supper.

Verses 116-117 are perhaps the Qur'an's most direct repudiation of the Christian claim that Jesus is the son of God, as they quote Jesus denying it himself, "Allah will say: 'O Jesus the son of Mary! Did you say worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right to say. I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allah'".

Verses 118-120 end surah 5 with the usual reminder of Judgement Day and of God's absolute power.
 
Surah 9, the penultimate chapter, is next. It is not internally compiled in chronological order, but I am going to summarize it as though it were. Therefore, I will be starting with verse 38. According to Islamic scholar and author, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, this surah contains three sections. The first verses chronologically (38-72) deal with Mohamed's preparations for the expedition to Tabuk, where he expected to battle Byzantine forces. The second section (71-129) was revealed after his return, with the third (1-37) coming at the time of the next Hajj.

Again Mohamed found himself having to rouse the reluctant bedouins (hypocrites) to risk their lives for the "cause of God". Justification for attacking the Byzantines is a matter of debate that would only distract from this summary, so I will leave that discussion for later. It is enough for now to be aware that this is the context for these verses:
- 38-39 indicate that Mohamed had gained little ground in convincing the bedouins to fight, but that he was still willing to refer to them as believers in the hope of coaxing them to join the impending battle, "You who believe, what is the matter with you, that, when you are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, you cling heavily to the earth?". (This is another example in which "go forth in the cause of God" is clearly used to describe fighting.) An established pattern of cajoling followed by threats is shown here, "Do you prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? ... If you do not march for His cause, He will afflict you with a painful punishment and replace you by another nation".
- 41 provides an irrefutable link between fighting and the word 'jihad' as it refers to being armed, and because it was revealed in the context of fighting the Byzantines, "Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive [jihad] with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah".
- 42 Accuses the hypocrites of only being interested in easy spoils, "Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip, the hypocrites would have followed you, but distant to them was the journey".
- 43 is the first half of another blatant contradiction, "May Allah pardon you [Mohamed]. Why did you give them [hypocrites] permission to remain behind?". The Qur'an then refutes itself in verse 46 by claiming it was God, not Mohamed, who allowed them to stay behind, "Allah disliked their being sent [because of their obvious lack of preparation], so He kept them back".
- 44 again uses 'jihad' to describe fighting, "Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day would not ask permission of you to be excused from striving [jihad] with their wealth and their lives".
- 45 demonstrates that Mohamed is loath to let the hypocrites off the hook without further tongue-lashing, "They only ask leave of you [to be excluded from fighting] who do not believe in Allah and the latter day".
- 47-48 explain why God (or Mohamed?) held them back, "Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder ... Indeed they had plotted sedition [fitnah] before".
- 49 quotes the hypocrites begging God to "Grant me leave [to be exempted from Jihad] and put me not into trial", then goes on to tell them that not only is it too late for forgiveness, but that they have lost their status as 'believer', and are now considered to be among 'al kafarina' (disbelievers), "Surely, they have fallen into trial. And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers".
- 50 is another nail in the spiritual coffin of the hypocrites, "If good befalls thee [Mohamed and the Muslims], it grieves them; but if a misfortune befalls thee, they say, 'We took indeed our precautions before', and they turn away rejoicing".

God's frustration with the hypocrites comes to a head in verse 52, as He threatens them with violence at the hands of the Muslims, "Say [to the hypocrites, Mohamed], 'Are you waiting for us [Muslims] to achieve one of the two rewards most fair [victory or martyrdom]? We are awaiting in your case too, for God to visit you with chastisement. from Him, or at our hands; so await; we are awaiting with you'".
 
Anyone who thinks God might be done lecturing the hypocrites has not been paying attention. In fact, the next 18 verses are dedicated to listing their short-comings, but I see no point in quoting each one. Suffice it says they are called liars, abusers, cowards, ungrateful, mockers, deniers of the truth, devoid of all virtue, apostates, and of course, bound for the fires of Hell.

Verses 71-72 end this series by reminding the faithful that God has not forgotten about them:
- 71 "The Believers, men and women, are protectors of each other: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger".
- 72 "Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow".
 
At this point, Mohamed had returned from Tabuk without so much as seeing the Byzantines, let alone fighting them. However, that did not diminish his desire to make war:
- 73 "O Prophet! Strive [jihidi] against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh against them". Sahih International and Muhammad Sarwar continue to demonstrate the interchangeability of 'jihad' and 'qatl' by translating this conjugation of 'jihad' as 'fight'.

Also left intact was his passion for berating the bedouin hypocrites. Although they had repeatedly been labeled as liars and unbelievers beyond redemption, much of the remainder of this surah is dedicated to having another go at them. The usual complaints of lying, apostasy, and greed, along with promises of damnation are dredged up, and again I am going to avoid the boring redundancy of quoting them.

Verses that are worth a closer look relate to the one issue that Mohamed obviously sees as their greatest sin, which is a reluctance to fight. In the later years, this obsession with judging Muslims by their willingness to fight had become a major component in the evolution of Islam:
- 81 "they hated to strive and fight with their properties and their lives in the Cause of Allah".
- 83 "You shall never go out with me nor fight with me against a foe. You were content with sitting still the first time. So sit still, with the useless".
- 86 "And whenever a chapter is revealed, saying: Believe in Allah and strive hard along with His Messenger, they ask permission of you and say: Leave us (behind), that we may be with those who sit".
- 87 "They preferred to be with those who remained behind, and a seal is set on their hearts so they do not understand".
- 88 "But the messenger and those who believe with him strive with their wealth and their lives".
- 90 "And the Bedouins came with their excuses, asking for leave [from fighting]".
- 93 "The blameworthy ones are those who ask for exemption despite their ability and who preferred to stay at home with those who are truly exempt".
- 94 "They will present their excuses to you".

The Qur'an is not merely a history book of events that mean nothing 1400 years after the fact. Its verses serve as commands, lessons, and examples of what being a Muslim meant back then, and of what it still means today, as explained in verses 14:25 and 39:27, "We have put forth for men, in this Qur'an every kind of Parable, in order that they may receive admonition". Since surah 2, in which the command to fight was first given, perhaps no verse captures the essence of the expectation that God has of His followers more so than 9:111, "Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill and are killed ... Then rejoice in the bargain which you have made". Not only are they expected to fight, but to do so with joy.
 
stevecanuck said:
At this point, Mohamed had returned from Tabuk without so much as seeing the Byzantines, let alone fighting them. However, that did not diminish his desire to make war:
- 73 "O Prophet! Strive [jihidi] against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh against them". Sahih International and Muhammad Sarwar continue to demonstrate the interchangeability of 'jihad' and 'qatl' by translating this conjugation of 'jihad' as 'fight'.

Also left intact was his passion for berating the bedouin hypocrites. Although they had repeatedly been labeled as liars and unbelievers beyond redemption, much of the remainder of this surah is dedicated to having another go at them. The usual complaints of lying, apostasy, and greed, along with promises of damnation are dredged up, and again I am going to avoid the boring redundancy of quoting them.

Verses that are worth a closer look relate to the one issue that Mohamed obviously sees as their greatest sin, which is a reluctance to fight. In the later years, this obsession with judging Muslims by their willingness to fight had become a major component in the evolution of Islam:
- 81 "they hated to strive and fight with their properties and their lives in the Cause of Allah".
- 83 "You shall never go out with me nor fight with me against a foe. You were content with sitting still the first time. So sit still, with the useless".
- 86 "And whenever a chapter is revealed, saying: Believe in Allah and strive hard along with His Messenger, they ask permission of you and say: Leave us (behind), that we may be with those who sit".
- 87 "They preferred to be with those who remained behind, and a seal is set on their hearts so they do not understand".
- 88 "But the messenger and those who believe with him strive with their wealth and their lives".
- 90 "And the Bedouins came with their excuses, asking for leave [from fighting]".
- 93 "The blameworthy ones are those who ask for exemption despite their ability and who preferred to stay at home with those who are truly exempt".
- 94 "They will present their excuses to you".

The Qur'an is not merely a history book of events that mean nothing 1400 years after the fact. Its verses serve as commands, lessons, and examples of what being a Muslim meant back then, and of what it still means today, as explained in verses 14:25 and 39:27, "We have put forth for men, in this Qur'an every kind of Parable, in order that they may receive admonition". Since surah 2, in which the command to fight was first given, perhaps no verse captures the essence of the expectation that God has of His followers more so than 9:111, "Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, so they kill and are killed ... Then rejoice in the bargain which you have made". Not only are they expected to fight, but to do so with joy.
Click to expand...

All of this stuff at the end is your opinion.


You are not a expert on islam.


Your comments are dismissed
 
stevecanuck said:
Anyone who thinks God might be done lecturing the hypocrites has not been paying attention. In fact, the next 18 verses are dedicated to listing their short-comings, but I see no point in quoting each one. Suffice it says they are called liars, abusers, cowards, ungrateful, mockers, deniers of the truth, devoid of all virtue, apostates, and of course, bound for the fires of Hell.

Verses 71-72 end this series by reminding the faithful that God has not forgotten about them:
- 71 "The Believers, men and women, are protectors of each other: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger".
- 72 "Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow".
Click to expand...

Opinion opinion opinion
 
The remaining 18 verses offer little that is new. Their main focus continues to be on the bedouins, and after years of complaints and threats, the command to fight them is finally given:
- 120 "It is not for the people of the City and for the Bedouins who dwell around them to not follow God's Messenger, and to prefer their lives to his".
- 123 "O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you [the bedouins], and let them find harshness in you".

In the middle of this call to attack the bedouins is instruction on how to maintain religious studies while making war, "Nor should the Believers all go forth together [to battle]: if a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they return to them (122)".
 
This brings us back to the second Hajj and verses 1-37. Their primary function is to determine when and against whom to declare war. They explain that existing treaties with the pagans may be broken if circumstances warrant, but not if they are being honored. In either case, once a treaty is deemed to have expired, the order to attack, after allowing a four month period for the pagans to capitulate without fighting, is given. These verses drop the pretense of initiating hostilities preemptively in self-defense. This is pure aggression:

- 1 "God and His Messenger declare the abrogation of the peace treaty that existed between them and the pagans".
- 2 "So [pagans] go about in the land for four months and know that you cannot weaken Allah and that Allah will bring disgrace to the unbelievers".
- 3 "Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and so is His messenger. So, if ye repent, it will be better for you".
- 4 "This does not apply to the pagans with whom you have a valid peace treaty and who have not broken it from their side or helped others against you".
- 5 "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war; but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them".
 
Verses 6-15 are little more than a reiteration of the above and previous verses:

- 6 and 11 reconfirm that pagans who wish to convert to Islam will be welcomed.
- 13 is reminiscent of 2:190-191 wherein Muslims were told for the first time that fighting was required of them, and that expelling the prophet and his followers was worse than killing them (whether they actually expelled him or he simply left because they refused to adopt Islam is moot by this point), "What! will you not fight a people who broke their oaths [the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah] and aimed at the expulsion of the Messenger, and they attacked you first; do you fear them? But Allah is most deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers". The underlined claim is simply not true. As stated earlier, Muslims fired the first arrow and are proud of the fact.
- 14 is another command to kill in the name of Allah, "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people".
 
My previous post should have said "verses 6-16" and included 16 in the grouping.

- 16 again warns that God notices those who do not fight, "Do you think that you will be left (as you are) while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive (for His cause) and do not take other than Allah , His Messenger and the believers as intimates?".


Verses 17-22 begin by banning unbelievers from entering the Kaaba, and then transition into praising Muslims who fight:
- 17-18 were aimed at the pagans of the day, but are expressed in such a way as to permanently prohibit any unbeliever from entering the site of the Kaaba, "It is not for the idolaters to inhabit God's places of worship ... Only he shall visit the mosques of Allah who believes in Allah". To this day unbelievers are not even allowed into the city of Mecca.
- 19 begins the transition by saying, "Do you reckon the giving of water to pilgrims ... to be the same as one who ... struggles in the way of God?".
- 20-22 complete it with, "The ones who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah", and is followed by the usual promises of heaven for fighters.
 
Verses 23-24 repeat that fighting for God is more important than family ties or earthly pursuits, "Believers, do not accept your fathers and brothers as your guardians if they prefer disbelief to faith ... If your [family and possessions] are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command [judgement]. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people". Muhammad Sarwar and Mohsin Khan again assumed the context was obvious enough to translate 'jihad' as 'fight'.

Verses 25-26 continue to rally the troops, "Assuredly Allah did help you in many battle-fields and on the day of [the battle of] Hunain your great numbers elated you, but ... you turned back in retreat ... But Allah did pour His calm on the Messenger and on the Believers, and sent down forces which you did not see [swooping angels]: He punished the Unbelievers; thus does He reward those without Faith". The underlined sentence provides another example of a specific event that yielded a proclamation meant as an enduring lesson.

Verse 28 repeats the command given in 18, "O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque".

Verse 29, in my opinion, is the most problematic passage in the Qur'an as it creates a perpetual state of war between Islam and the rest of the world, "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya [protection tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued".

This verse brings us back to the intended battle with the Byzantines. During the nearly two-year cessation of hostilities between Muslims and Meccans, Mohamed sent emissaries to the remaining holdouts in Arabia and to the Byzantines with a message - an 'invitation to Islam' - that gives them the options described by this verse. In Hugh Kennedy's book, The Great Arab Conquests, he described on page 113 terms presented to the leaders of various states and tribes (in this case the Persians) thus:

"If you embrace Islam, we will leave you alone. If you agree to pay the poll tax [jizya], we will protect you if you need our protection. Otherwise, it is war". Kennedy goes on to explain, "These three options were becoming the usual offer in negotiations between the Muslims and their opponents".​

These options are essentially verse 9:29, and they served as the template for subsequent conquests.
 
Verses 30-37 are a final attack on unbelievers:
- 30 "And the Jews say Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say The Messiah is the son of Allah ... may Allah destroy/fight/assail/curse [depending on the translation] them". As an aside, Jews will probably be surprised to hear that they claim Ezra to be the son of God.
- 31 "They have taken as lords besides Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah, son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah".
- 32 "They want to extinguish the light of Allah".
- 33 restates Mohamed's ultimate mission, "It is He Who hath sent [Mohamed] with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion".
- 34 "Many rabbis and monks consume other people's property by false means and create obstacles in the way of God. Those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend for the cause of God, should know that their recompense will be a painful torment".
- 35 "On the Day of Judgment their treasures will be heated by the fire of hell and pressed against their foreheads, sides and back with this remark, 'These are your own treasures which you hoarded for yourselves. See for yourselves what they feel like'".
- 36 "fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively". This ignores the fact that there was no fighting until Mohamed sent raiding parties to attack Mecca's caravans.
- 37 "Their evil deeds seem attractive to them".

The Qur'an ends with Surah 110's three-verse reminder that God will lead Islam to victory, "When comes the Help of Allah, and Victory, and you see the people enter Allah's Religion in crowds, glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives".


Note: summary to follow one day soon-ish.
 
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