SHADEE ELMASRY

 

 

 

 

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CONTENTS

 

1 Thesis 

 

2 The Quranic Claim: Fact or Fiction

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3 The Nature of the Claim & Its Proofs

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4 The Logic of Interpretation & Allegorization

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5 The Cosmic Primacy of Beliefs

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6 Tawatur & A Logical Conclusion

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7 The Myths of Past Peoples

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8 On the Believing Jews & Christians 

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9 What Does "Allah and the Last Day" Imply?

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10 Verses Showing That Ahl al-Kitab Are Disbelievers

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11 Previously Revealed Books & Religions Have Been Corrupted

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12 True Belief in the Afterlife Implies Belief in the Quran

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13 The Prophets Themselves Would Have Been Required to Follow Muhammad ﷺ 

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14 Verses Commanding Belief in All Prophets

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15 Verses Commanding Belief in the Prophet ﷺ

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16 Salvation Rests Upon Belief in the Prophet ﷺ  

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17 Verses Showing Islam as the Only Valid Religion

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18 The Explanation of Verses That Seem to Imply the Salvation of Jews & Christians

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Appendix: Verses with Arabic

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1

Thesis

 

Thesis: Belief in the Prophet ﷺ, after receiving news of him, is necessary for salvation in Islam.

 

In the Quran, ‘the saved’ are referred to as believers given 48:13 Fath, “Whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, verily We have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing Fire.”

 

To remain focused, I will not be discussing the following ancillary questions and sub-topics:

 

• In what way does the message have to be delivered?

 

• The proof that Muhammad is a Messenger.

 

• The status of one who denies the above thesis statement.

 

• Why God created Hell.

 

• Is it mean to believe some people will be in Hell.

 

• The social implications of believing someone is on a path to Hell.

 

• The status of those who never recieved the message.

 

• Impugning the qualifications of my disputant to give fatwa in matters of ‘aqida.

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• Relying on hadith, except when explaining circumstances around the revelation of verses.

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2 

The Quranic Claim: Fact or Fiction

 

 

Is the Quran claiming to be a book of facts or a book of allegorical wisdoms derived from fiction stories akin to Narnia or Aesop’s fables?

 

Every book, movie, or narrative begins with a declaration of intention. The Quran does the same, right away in the first set of verses after Al-Fatiha: 

 

“This book, there is no doubt in it” (2:2 Baqara). 

 

“Lo, these stories are true” (3:62 Aal ‘Imran). 

 

“He tells the truth” (6:57 An’am).

 

“Your people denied it, while it is the truth” (6:66 An’am).

 

“His word is the truth” (6:73 An’am).

 

“That which is revealed unto you from your Lord is the truth” (13:1 Ra’d). 

 

“Allah says the truth and shows the right way” (33:4 Ahzab).

 

“As for what we revealed unto you of this book; it is the truth” (35:31 Fatir).

 

“Those who believed in what was revealed upon Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He will forgive their sins (47:2 Muhammad).

 

The Quran also cites and refutes the attack of the disbelievers who said, “These are merely the tales of old.” This wording appears not once or twice, but nine times in the Quran. In over a dozen more verses, the Quran reaffirms that it is the truth. In sum, whether or not one believes the Quran, we can all agree that it is claiming to tell us the truth.

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3

The Nature of the Claim & Its Proofs

 

 

The necessity to believe in the Prophet ﷺ for salvation in Islam is a daruri fact. Why?

 

Facts are daruri or nazari.

Daruri knowledge does not require effort in its acquisition, including, explicit and widespread statements. Nazari knowledge does require effort to acquire.

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Language is either qat'i or zanni.

Qat'i is explicit and definitive.

Zanni is interpretive.

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Transmission is either mutawaatir or ahaad.

Mutawaatir is mass transmission.

Ahaad is solitary transmission.

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There is no debate on a qat‘i text because its language does not allow for interpretation. The existence of fringe statements does not negate this. Altering the meaning of a daruri text is not interpretation (ta’wil); rather it is distortion (tahrif). The realm of debate lies in zanni texts, the language of which requires interpretation. Questioning daruri facts or qat’i  texts is only rooted in ‘playing dumb’ or simply choosing one’s desires over clear facts, what the Islamic tradition calls, ashab al-ahwa’.

 

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4

The Logic of Interpretation & Allegorization

 

 

Words are understood based on their most commonly used meanings and original definitions. If this was not the case, then the allegorical meanings would eventually become the literal meanings. One only shifts to a secondary meaning if one of two objective measures are present:

 

1. If the primary meaning conflicts with a definitive text.

2. If the primary meaning conflicts with an observed reality.

 

The interpreted meaning must have a precedent in the Arabic language and cannot contradict a definitive text in light of the principle of non-contradiction.

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5

The Cosmic Primacy of Beliefs

 

 

How important are beliefs? Are they just vague attempts to arrive at higher meanings?

 

 

Beliefs are not all the same according to the Quran. If they were, the universe itself would not care nor would Allah call upon the Christians to curse themselves if they were wrong: 

 

3:60-62 Aal ‘Imran

If anyone disputes with you about him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, “The truth is from your Lord, so do not waver. Whoever argues with you concerning Him, then say, ‘Come, let us call our children and your children, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, and let us invoke Allah’s curse on the liars.’ Lo, this speech is the truth.

If theology was relative, why would Allah call upon Christians to curse themselves if they are false.

 

19:90-92 Maryam

The heavens are about to split open and the earth about split, and the mountains fall and crumble because they attribute a son to The Merciful, when it is not fitting for The Merciful to have a son.

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6

Tawatur & A Logical Conclusion

 

Could it be possible that hajj is not actually obligatory? Could it be possible that for a millenium and a half, Muslims got it all wrong? How far would it go if one tried to argue that prayer, fasting, and charity were all not part of Islam? If these suggestions are laughable, what then about their foundation: belief in the Prophet ﷺ?

    If we were to assume, for the sake of argument, that Muslims were wrong all this time about prayer, fasting, and hajj, the implication would be that the message is extremely unclear, vague, and hence not followable. The very definition and concept of a messenger—one who delivers a message—would be undermined, and we would have no religion to discuss. 

    If it was true that Paradise could be accessed without belief in the Prophet ﷺ, then what would justify the conviction-dependent deeds that form the religion? The least demaning religion on the market would prevail. For any phenomenon, the interpretation that leads to the idea’s self-destruction must be false.

 

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7

The Myth of Past Peoples

 

 

It is often stated—or imagined—that past peoples were close-minded and exclusivistic. The necessary struggle for survival produced a tribalistic attitude, and this is what informed Muslim views of Jews and Christians. There are five problems with this idea:

 

1. If this was the case, how did any new religions come about? Why would the Jews separate from Pagans? Christians from Jews? Muslims from both?

2. This perspective imagines that the old-world was divided by hard boundaries, discounting the cosmopolitan realities of Jerusalem, Damascus, and later Baghdad, where multiple religions existed in the same city. 

3. This perspective reduces the complexity, intelligence, and empathy of past peoples—as if to say that only modern people have compassion, while past people were brute.

4. It is also a claim that is impossible to prove, and hence cannot be the foundation of a proof.

5. The Prophet ﷺ displayed an ability to soften the Companions towards one another despite being of rival tribes. He also separated between the categories of People of the Book and pagans. If religious pluralism were true, he could have easily conveyed this to the Companions and softened them towards Jews and Christians. Instead, he said, “Any Jew or Christian who has heard of me, and not believed, is in the Fire” (Muslim).

 

The truth of the matter is that we simply cannot make an objective statement on the nature of past peoples. My personal opinion is that human beings have always had the same capacities for the same emotions and sensitivites towards one another.

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8

What Are Believing Jews & Christians?

 

 

Religious pluralism is often supported by verses that praise the People of the Book as believers. But they do not tell us how they earned this description. Namely, they proved their sincerity in faith by believing in the Prophet ﷺ.

 

47:2 Muhammad

“Those who believed and did good deeds and believed in what was revealed upon Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He will forgive their sins.

 

2:137 Baqara

If they believe in what you believe in, only then will they be rightly guided.

 

4:162 Nisa’ 

But those among them (People of the Book) firmly rooted in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you.

 

5:15 Ma’ida

Oh People of the Book, Our Messenger has come to you.

 

5:68 Ma’ida

Say, “O People of the Book! You have no basis until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel, and what is revealed to you from your Lord (i.e. the Quran).” But what is revealed to you from your Lord will increase many of them in rebellion and disbelief, so do not be sorry for the disbelieving people. (If they do not believe in the Prophet then they are “disbelieving people.”)

 

7:157 A’raf

Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession…Those who believe in him, and respect him, and support him, and follow the light that came down with him; these are the successful ones.

 

24:62 Nur

The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger.

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9

 What Does “Allah and the Last Day” Imply?

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“Allah and the Last Day” is short form for Allah, angels, books, and messengers.

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2:285 Baqara 

The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, as did the believers. They all believed in Allah, and His angels, and His scriptures, and His messengers: We make no distinction between any of His messengers.

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4:136 Nisa’ 

O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger, and the Book He sent down to His messenger, and the Book He sent down before. Whoever rejects Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day, has strayed far in error.

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By the logic of interpretation:

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1. The more detailed verses takes priority over the general ones.

2. This interpretation is necessary because otherwise the Book contradicts itself.

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10

Verses Showing That Ahl al-Kitab Are Disbelievers

 

 

3:70 Aal ‘Imran 

O People of the Book! Why do you reject the revelation of Allah, even as you witness?

If they could be saved without Islam, why would their rejection be a problem?

 

4:171

People of the Book: Do not exaggerate in your religion, and do not say about Allah except the truth. 

The implication here is that they are speaking falsehood, therefore cannot be a source of salvation.

 

5:82 Ma’ida 

You will find that the people most hostile towards the believers are the Jews and the polytheists. And you will find that the nearest in affection towards the believers are those who say, “We are Christians.” That is because among them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant.

The point of evidence here is the contrast between “believers” and Jews & Christians.

 

98:1 Bayyina 

Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book, and the pagans were not divided until the Clear Evidence came to them.

Ibn ‘Arabi: Those blocked from the religion and the way to the truth, such as Ahl al-Kitab and the pagans. They remain attached to their misguidance.

 

98:6 Bayyina

Those who disbelieve among the People of the Book, and pagans, will be in the Fire of Hell.

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11

Previously Revealed Books & Religions Have Been Corrupted

 

 

5:13 Ma’ida

They twist the words out of their context, and disregarded much of what they were reminded of.

 

5:41 Ma’ida

From among the Jews—listeners to lies, listeners to other people who did not come to you. They distort words from their places, and say, “If you are given this, accept it; but if you are not given it, beware.” Whomever Allah has willed to divert, you have nothing for him from Allah. Those are they whose hearts Allah does not intend to purify. For them is disgrace in this world, and for them is a great punishment in the Hereafter.

Do these descriptions sound like people who are saved?

 

5:77 Ma’ida

O People of the Book, do not exaggerate in your religion beyond the truth; and do not follow the opinions of people who went astray before, and misled many, and themselves strayed off the balanced way.

Astray, not saved.

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12

True Belief in the Afterlife Implies Belief in the Quran

 

 

6:92 An‘am 

This too is a blessed Scripture that We revealed, verifying what preceded it, that you may warn the Mother of Cities and all around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and are dedicated to their prayers.

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13

The Prophets Themselves Would Have Been Required to Follow Muhammad ﷺ 

 

 

3:8l Aal ‘Imran

And recall when Allah took an oath from the prophets. ‘I have given you scriptures and wisdom. Now if a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and give him victory. Do you agree to this and swear to it as binding on you?’ They said,’ We do.’ He said, ‘Then be witnesses to it and I too am with you amongst the witnesses.’

If the prophets had to believe in Muhammad and follow him, naturally their followers must to.

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14

Verses Commanding Belief in All Prophets

 

 

4:150-1 Nisa’ 

Those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and want to separate between Allah and His messengers, and say, “We believe in some, and reject some,” and wish to take a path in between. These are the unbelievers, truly. We have prepared for the unbelievers a shameful punishment.

 

4:170

O people! The Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord, so believe.

 

50:14 Qaf

All those who reject prophets earn punishment.

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15

Verses Commanding Belief in the Prophet ﷺ

 

 

4:64-65 Nisa’

We do not send messengers except for them to be obeyed by Allah’s permission. Nay they do not truly believe until they make you the judge of their affair then find no qualms in your decision and submit perfectly. 

 

4:136 Nisa’

Oh you who believe, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that has been brought down to the His Messenger and the Books that have been sent down before that. Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment has gone far far astray.

 

5:15-16

Oh People of the Book, Our Messenger has come to you clarifying much of what you hide of the Scripture, and He overlooks much. A light from God has come to you, and a Book that makes things clear. Through it, Allah guides those who want his pleasure to peaceful paths and takes them out of the darkness and into the light by His permission. And He guides them to the straight path. Those who say God is the Messiah son of Mary have certainly disbelieved.

 

7:158 A’raf 

O people, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all—He to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words. And follow him, that you may be guided.

This is a response to the fallacious thesis that the Prophet ﷺ  only came to the Arabs.

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16

Salvation Rests Upon Belief in the Prophet ﷺ  

 

 

4:162 Nisa’

Those among them firmly rooted in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what was revealed to you…These We will bestow an immense reward.

 

24:62 Nur

Verily the believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. 

 

48:13 Fath

Whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, verily We have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing Fire.

 

48:17 Fath

Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, Allah will enter him into gardens under which rivers flow. And whoever turns away will be punished with a painful torment.

 

48:28

It is He who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions.

If other religions can save people, why the need to prevail over them?

 

49:15 Hujurat

The believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and do not have any doubt it this.

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17

Verses Showing Islam as the Only Valid Religion

 

 

3:19 Aal ‘Imran 

The deen in Allah’s sight is Islam. The People of the Book differed violently among themselves after knowledge came to them. Whoever rejects the signs of Allah, verily Allah is speedy in judgement.

Even if “islam” is interpreted as submission, it would imply submission to the Prophet ﷺ as well. Further, the next statement is that the People of the Book differed.

 

3:85 Aal ‘Imran

Whoever seeks other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.

 

5:3 Ma’ida

Today I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My favor upon you, and have approved Islam as a religion for you. 

This verse shows that ‘Islam’ in the Quran refers to the religion.

 

61:9 Saff

It is He who sent His Messenger with the guidance and the true religion, to make it prevail over all religions, even though the idolaters dislike it.

If other religions can save people, why the need to prevail over them?

 

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18

The Explanation of Verses That Seem to Imply the Salvation of Jews & Christians

 

 

2:62 

Those who believe and those who were guided (hadu), and the supporters of Christ (nasara), and the Sabeans who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and act righteously; they will have their reward with their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.

The verse is in the past tense, pointing to believers at the time of their prophet. The circumstance of revelation was a question from Salman al-Farisi about the pious monks he met before Islam. It must be this because otherwise would contradict the explicit and numerous verses commanding the current Jews and Christians to believe in the Prophet ﷺ. 

    “Allah and the Last Day” is short form for “Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day,” because otherwise would be a contradiction of the more explicit and more numerous verses requiring belief in angels, books, and messengers. Ibn ‘Arabi interprets the phrase “those who believe” to mean, they convert to the truth.

 

3:113 Aal ‘Imran

They are not alike. Among the People of the Scripture is a community that is upright; they recite Allah’s revelations throughout the night, and they prostrate themselves.

This verse is referring to the Jews & Christians who became Muslim, as explained in 7:157, “Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession...Those who believe in him, and respect him, and support him, and follow the light that came down with him; these are the successful ones.”

 

5:43 Ma’ida 

But why do they come to you for judgment, when they have the Torah, in which is Allah’s Law? Yet they turn away after that. These are not believers.

The point of this verse is ta’ajjub, or astonishment, at the Jews requesting the Prophet’s verdict when they do not believe in him as a prophet to begin with. In this incident, the Jews asked the Prophet ﷺ to rule on a case of adultery, hoping he would give a ruling besides stoning. As for the Torah being described as a having light and guidance, it was pure light and guidance before it’s tahrif, and still contains some light and guidance afterwards, except that we cannot know for sure where due to tahrif.

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