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From among all nations or from Abraham's seed? Surah 29:27 states that all prophets came from Abraham's seed. But 16:36 claims that Allah raised messengers from among every people.

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Is the messenger allowed to seek forgiveness for his people or not?  In 4:64 he is allowed, while in 9:80 he is not!

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incorrect translation of key words.

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No mention of the imaginary 'rich man' anywhere in 2:184

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Apart from the fact that these verses speak of different events, the truly amazing observation here is that the Quran speaks of a scientific theory that was only to be known after Einstein put forward his theory of relativity in 1905.

First let us read the three verses refered to:

"………. A day of your Lord is like a thousand of your years." 22:47 

"All matters are controlled by Him from the heaven to the earth. To Him, the day is equivalent to one thousand of your years." 32:5

"The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years." 70:4

Note that only the first two of these verses speak of a day relative to God (1000 years of our count) .... However, the third verse does not speak of a day relative to God, therefore before demonstrating the scientific significance of these verses, it must be said that there is no contradiction between the first two verses on one hand and the third verse on the other hand.

Scientific significance:

The theory of relativity states that since we live in a space-time universe there is no such thing as 'absolute time'.  What relativity tells us is that time, measured in our frame of reference (our point of view), runs at a different speed from time in another frame of reference.

This phenomenon is called 'Time Dilation'.  The equation which predicts this 'stretching' of time is:

T  =  t  divided by the square root of   [1  -   (V x V)divided by (C x C)]

t   =  length of a time interval for us

T  =  length of a time interval for another frame of reference.

V  =  velocity of other frame of reference

C  =  speed of light (approx. 300,000 km/second) 

The mathematics of relativity says that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.  If a body travels faster than the speed of light ( where V is greater than C ) we would get a negative value for the section marked between the [ ...... ], but since there is no square root for a negative value, the equation cannot accept speeds greater than the speed of light.

However, it has been discovered that some particles actually travel faster than light.  These are called 'tachyons'.  They cannot travel at the speed of light, only faster.

The amazing notation of these Quranic verses, besides confirming the theory of 'Time Dilation', is that they confirm the fact that if there is such frames of reference where one day is equal to a thousand years of our count, and even fifty thousand years of our count, they must be travelling at speeds many times faster than the speed of light.

These frames of reference cannot be physical, and that is because according to the relativity equations the speed of light is the limiting factor in our physical world. 

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To clarify this false claim let us read 17:101

17:101 

"We supported Moses with nine profound 'Ayat' (miracles), ask the Children of Israel. When he went to them, Pharaoh said to him, "I think that you, Moses, are bewitched."

The Quran speaks of nine Miracles and NOT nine plagues.  These nine are detailed as follows:

        In 7:133 we are told of five of the nine:

1-  The flood

2-  The locusts

3-  The lice

4-  The frogs

5-  The blood

        In 7:107 and 108 we are told of :

6- The rod that turned into a snake.

7-  His hand that turned into white (It is said he had leprous hand). 

        In 7:130 we are told of :

8-  The drought.

9-  The shortage of crops.

That makes them nine all together .......... nine miracles , not nine plagues.

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To expose this false claim let us first review 2:286:

"God never burdens any soul beyond its means, to its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits."

Here we clearly see that the words "what it earns" and the words "what it commits" speak about one's deeds, hence God will hold every soul accountable to its own deeds.

Now let us read 2:284, starting from the last words of verse 283 :

"Anyone who withholds a testimony is sinful at heart. God is fully aware of everything you do. To God belongs everything in the heavens and the earth, Whether you declare your inner thoughts or conceal them, God holds you accountable for them."

By reading verses 283 and 284 together it becomes apparent that the subject of verse 284 is testimony and not one’s intentions.

Declaring a testimony or concealing it is a matter that can have grave results when verdicts are given in courts of law. Concealing a testimony that is beneficial to a defendant can seriously damage his/her case.  This is why the issue of concealing a testimony is considered an accountable deed.

The assumed contradiction between the two verses is thus non-existent.  Both verses are addressing one's deeds. 
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To demonstrate the truth of these verses and their implications it is necessary first to examine in the light of the Quran what is forgiven by God, and which can be implied under 48:2, and what is never forgiven by God and thus must be feared according to 6:15. We are told in the Quran that God forgives all sins except idolatry:

"GOD does not forgive idolatry, but He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who sets up idols beside GOD, has forged a horrendous offense."  4:48

Now let us read 48:2

"We have bestowed upon you (O Messenger) a great victory, whereby GOD forgives your past sins, as well as future sins…….." 48:2

When we read both verses (4:48 and 48:2) we clearly understand that all the messenger's sins may be forgiven, as long as he does not commit idol worship. 

The fact that the messenger, like all other believers, is not pardoned for any act of idol worship is confirmed in the following verse:

"It has been revealed to you (O messenger), and to those before you that if you ever commit idolatry, all your works will be nullified, and you will be with the losers." 39:65

Now let us read 6:15

"Say, ‘I fear, if I disobeyed my Lord, the retribution of an awesome day." 6:15

When we read the words that immediately precede this verse, we read:

"Say, "I am commanded to be the most devoted submitter, and, `Do not be an idol worshiper."6:14

If we put the two verses next to one another (verses 14 and 15 of Surah 6), it becomes obvious that the messenger is to say (I fear the retribution of an awesome day if I should disobey God and commit idolatry).

It follows from that to conclude that verse 48:2 which promises the messenger’s sins will be forgiven (past and future sins) is obviously connected to all other sins, except idol worship.

There is no contradiction between the two verses.

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Let us first read the words of the author of the claim.  He says:

'I took the freedom to ask around on the biology newsgroups to find out more about this claim. Here is a list of some responses I got:

There are quite a few examples of organisms which are exclusively parthenogenetic (one sex). I might refer you to Graham Bell's "The Masterpiece of Nature", a weighty tome which has all you could care to know about the evolution of sexual reproduction.

The list is actually decently long : bacteria, fungi imperfecti, etc.  All members of the Monera Kingdom reproduce asexually only. Yes, the Plantae and Protista Kingdoms do produce both ways, but almost never only asexually. As for the fungi, a certain group, the fungi imperfecti, are classified as such because no forms of sexual reproduction have been observed. Concerning your question about "higher" species, no members of the Kingdom Animalia produce only asexually (the scientific term is not non-sexual). There are some rare cases of lysogeny (sp?), but it is very rare. Hope this helps.

Could it be that God is wrong? And wrong in so many cases? Or could it be that the one who was wrong here was not God? Maybe Muhammad was a good observer of the world around him, but he was not omniscient. And it shows in the above and other contradictions collected here.' 

In reply to this claim, we remind ourselves that the words of the verse said :

"And of everything We have created pairs"

The word 'everything'  clearly indicates that God is speaking of everything in the universe and not just some species of plants.  So what is this universal arrangement by which everything is created in pairs?

Here we explore the science of Quantum Mechanics. 

When we study Quantum Particle Properties, we find that for every elementary particle in the universes there is a special partner called its anti-particle that has the same mass but the opposite electric charge.  This is what is called Anti-Matter.

Basically, if a particle and its own anti-particle collide, they cancel one another out. They destroy one another and turn into a flash of pure energy which can manifest itself as light. 

For many years this theory remained a theoretical hypothesis, since no anti-matter was ever produced in a lab.  However, very recently, a Swiss-based scientist confirmed that anti-matter has been manufactured in tiny amounts! 

The scientists at the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN), on the Franco-Swiss border, have now set up the world's first anti-matter factory, one of them, Professor Frank Close, told the annual science festival in Wales:

" Nine atoms of anti-hydrogen were produced just over a year ago. Now, the new factory will produce them at a rate of more than 2,000 atoms per hour" Close said. 

When matter meets anti-matter, they annihilate each other in a flash. The scientific consensus is that, when the universe was created, matter and anti-matter emerged equally from the Big Bang. 

For more details on that matter check :  http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/

So once again we witness the Quran's amazing scientific content.  The subject of 51:49 and which the author failed to interpret correctly, is in fact yet another very accurate piece of knowledge.  This verse as seen address's the theory of Quantum Particle Properties, and not the type of 'Reproduction System' (male/female) of one species of plants or another. 

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First of all verses 96:1-2 do not say 'blood clot'  !!! The correct translation of these two verses is:

"Read, in the name of your Lord, who created. He created man from a 'Alaq' (that which clings)." 96:1-2

The word 'Alaq' literally translates as (that which clings).  This highly accurate scientific description, describes the fertilized egg as it clings to the wall of the mother's womb.  Obviously, the author of the false claim has been reading an inaccurate translation of the Quran. 

Now let us read the other contested verses:

21:30

"Do the unbelievers not realize that the heaven and the earth used to be one solid mass that we exploded into

existence? And from water we made all living things. Would they believe?"

Current scientific knowledge confirms the dual meaning of this verse:

1-  The history of life on earth confirms that all life originated from water, then crept unto land, later birds were created then mammals and finally man.  Therefore the phrase  And from water we made all living things  is accurate in that respect, and it confirms that all life originated from water.

2-  When the chemical composition of any living organism (including the human body) is analysed it is found that it is formed mainly of water (at least 80% or more).  This again confirms the accuracy of the phrase And from water we made all living things.  In other words all living things are largely composed of water. 

It is indeed interesting, and along the same lines, to note that it was found that all liquids in our bodies (tears, saliva, blood, urine, perspiration......etc) contain the same percentage of salt as is found in the oceans.

Next, we move on to the verses that state that man was created from clay, mud, or dust.  Since dust and clay are the same thing (dust is dry mud) then they can be addressed together. 

Once again, the history of life on earth confirms that at the early stages of the development of earth, and before life was formed, the earth was still very hot, too hot for water to exist in a liquid form.  Gradually, and when the earth cooled sufficiently, the water that condensed and formed the seas and oceans mixed with the dirt to form mud.  Out of the moulding mud was born the simplest living organisms, in the shape of bacteria and single cell organisms.  From these early forms of living organisms originated higher and more complex forms culminating in the creation of man from the same origin, which is mud. 

This scientific theory is confirmed in the Quran:

"We created the human being from aged mud, like the potter's clay."  15:26

Also 3:59, 30:20, 35:11

But this is not all, in another verse an amazing scientific information is given that was only to be revealed at least a thousand years after the revelation of the Quran.  This is found in the following verse;

"We have created man from a 'Sulalah' (quintessence) of clay" 23:12

The word 'quintessence' means a sample that is a representation of the whole. 

Today, when human tissue is analysed, it is found to contain exactly the same eighteen most abundant elements in the earth's crust.  These are:

Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Hydrogen, Chlorofine, Iodine, Manganese, Phosphorous, Lead, copper, silver, Carbon, and Zinc.

For that, the human being is indeed created from earth.........

Next we move to 19:67 which says:

"Did the human being forget that we created him already, and he was nothing?"

On closer inspection we note that this verse does not say that we were created from nothing (as the author of the claim would interpret),  the verse says that before we were created we were nothing.  There is a big difference between saying,

'we were created from nothing'

and between ' before we were created , we were nothing'

Finally, we are told in the Quran that the human being is created from a drop of fluid [16:4, 75:37]

"He created the human from a tiny drop....... " 16:4

"Does the human being think that he will go to nothing?  Was he not a drop of ejected semen?  Then He (God) created an embryo out of it!  He made it into male or female!  Is He then unable to revive the dead?"  75:36-40

These verses describe the initial stage of the formation of the embryo,  and the fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm.  Once again, this is in line with scientific knowledge. 

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The two verses contested are :

"O you who believe, do not enter homes other than yours without permission from their inhabitants, and without greeting them. This is better for you, that you may take heed. If you find no one in them, do not enter them until you obtain permission." 24:27-28

"You commit no error by entering uninhabited homes wherein there is something that belongs to you. GOD knows everything you reveal, and everything you conceal." 24:29

Once again, we note that the two verses speak of two different types of homes.

In verse 27 the words "from their inhabitants", confirm that the verse speaks of homes that are inhabited. The words "without greeting them" confirm that there are inhabitants in those homes. However, the words "uninhabited homes" in verse 29 confirm that God is speaking of homes that are not inhabited. 

In essence, 24:29 says that the believers may enter uninhabited homes, where there are things that belong to them in order to get their belongings.

There is no contradiction between the two verses.

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We read in 21:98:

The words of 24:23 read: 

"Surely, those who falsely accuse married women who are pious believers have incurred condemnation in this life and in the Hereafter;  they have incurred a horrendous retribution."

 Now when we read 24:5, we read the words: 

"If they repent afterwards and reform, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful."

The words "afterwards" means after they have received the punishment which is detailed in 24:4.  Moreover, because God is the Most Merciful, He will forgive those who commit such a sin only if they "repent and reform".

To conclude, those who commit the sin of falsely accusing married women will be severely punished by God, except those of them who repent and reform after committing such a sin. 

Once again the contradiction is due to poor understanding of the Quran.

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The reply to this trivial claim is two-fold.  First, and by reading verses [39:73, 41:30, 57:21, 79:41] we see that they speak of paradise in general.  They do not speak of how many gardens there are in paradise.  In that respect they do not contradict verses [18:31, 22:23, 35:33, 78:32] that speak of many gardens in paradise.

Second, and more importantly, all descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical. The Quran tells us that these descriptions are allegorical, whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject. See 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15. The word "Mathal" (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word "Mathal" in these verses can be removed, and we still have perfect sentences. But it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical. 

What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond our comprehension. Hence the need for allegory. How can one describe, for example, the taste of chocolate to a person who never tasted chocolate? Allegory will have to be used. The person has to wait to actually taste chocolate in order to know what chocolate tastes like. Whatever allegory we use to describe the taste of chocolate can never approximate the real thing. 

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2:97 

"Say, "Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (Quran) into your heart, in accordance with GOD's will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers."

16:101

"When we substitute one revelation in place of another, and GOD is fully aware of what He reveals, they say, "You made this up!"   Indeed, most of them do not know." 

By reading these two verses it becomes difficult to see any contradiction.  The revelation of the Quran indeed confirmed that previous scripture were also sent by God (Torah, Injil .....etc).

However, some of the laws prescribed in these older Scripture were substituted with new laws in the Quran.

An example of that is the fact that sexual intercourse between married couples was prohibited at all times during fasting.  However, in the Quran it was made permissible between sunset and sunrise.

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16:103 

"We are fully aware that they say, "A human being is teaching him!"  The tongue of the source they hint at is non-Arabic, and this is a perfect Arabic tongue."

First, the word used in the verse to describe the Arabic of the Quran is 'Mubeen' which translates as Perfect or Clear.   The word used by the author, which is "Pure" is not accurate. 

Second, any language in the world has in it many words from other languages.  That does not make it imperfect. If we look at the English language as an example, we find hundreds of words that derive from other languages. The word 'kiosk' is originally Polish, while the phrase tete-a-tete is originally French ....... etc.

These words, and hundreds others, although of foreign origin, have become part of the English vocabulary. 

Since these originally foreign words have found their way into the English vocabulary, their use is well within the use of 'Perfect English'.  'Perfect English' is thus a question of a script that is written in correct grammar.

The same applies to Arabic or any other language. 

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First, we read 3:144:

"Muhammad was no more than a messenger like the messengers before him. Should he die or get killed, would you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels, does not hurt GOD in the least. GOD rewards those who are appreciative."

It is clear that there is nothing in this verse about the death of all messengers before Muhammad.

It is a good thing to pause here and present a brief outline of the concept of the death of the righteous according to the Quran, and also the Quranic explanation of the death of Jesus.

"Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being provided for." (3:169)

"Do NOT say about those who are killed in the cause of God, "They are dead." For they are alive, but you do not perceive." (2:154) 

These verses and other similar ones, tell us that although the righteous depart this world, and to the people around they look like they have died; in reality THE RIGHTEOUS DO NOT DIE.  When their lives on earth come to the predetermined end, the angel of death simply invites them to leave their earthly bodies and move on to Heaven. 

We learn from 89:27-30 that God invites the believers' souls to: "Enter My Paradise."

As far as people on earth are concerned, the righteous appear to "die." People do not realize that the righteous simply leave their bodies, and move on to Paradise. The verses shown above are self explanatory. In 36:26-27, we see the best evidence that the righteous go to Paradise, while their friends and relatives are still living on earth.  Just like a group of people going on holiday to Hawaii and waiting for their friends to join them. See also 16:32 & 6:60-62. 

Jesus' Death 

The Quran tells us that the soul of Jesus was raised before the arrest and crucifixion of his physical body. Thus, his persecutors arrested, tortured, and crucified an empty body - Jesus was already gone to the world of souls (3:55, 4:157). 

Interestingly enough, the fact that God saved Jesus from the torture of crucifixion by raising his soul before his arrest, is confirmed by a number of Biblical verses.

Let us first read the Quranic reference to this issue and then the Biblical verses.

"They plotted and schemed, but so did God, and God is the best schemer.  Thus, God said, ``O Jesus, I am putting you to death, and raising you to Me; I will save you from the disbelievers.''  3:54-55

"They claimed that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God!  In fact, they never killed him; they never crucified him; they were led to believe that they did."   4:157

These verses confirm the following matters:

1-  That God raised the soul of Jesus prior to his prosecution and crucifixion.

2-  That the enemies of Jesus did not triumph over him.

Now let us read the Biblical version:

1-  "In the days of his earthly life, he offered up prayers, with loud cries and tears to God who was able to save him from death and he was favorably heard for his godly fear" Hebrews 5:7 

This very significant verse indicates that upon hearing the prayers of Jesus, God has saved him from death. In other words Jesus did not die on the cross. 

The words God who was able to save him from death  correspond to the Quranic words "save you from the disbelievers" in 3:55

The verse tells us that Jesus "offered up prayers" and that his prayers were "favorably heard",  which confirms that God saved Jesus from dying by the hands of his enemy.

The Church may argue that the prayers of Jesus took place when he was in the grave and before being resurrected. However, this is in contradiction to the words of the verse: "In the days of his earthly life". The words "earthly life" state that Jesus "offered up prayers" while he was alive on earth, and not dead in the grave. 

2-  The same conclusion can be reached from the famous prophecy in Psalms:

"My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me? I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God, be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is no one to help. For dogs have surrounded me. The Assembly of the wicked have enclosed me but you, O Lord, do not be far from me................ you have answered me." Psalms 22

The words "you have answered me" again indicate that God saved Jesus from death.

3-  This is also confirmed by the following verse:

"But you, O Lord be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them ……..my enemy does not triumph over me." Psalms 41:10-11

The words "raise me up" so that "my enemy does not triumph over me" also support the theory of the raising of the soul of Jesus before his enemy triumphs over him (before being crucified).

Once again these words correspond perfectly with the Quranic words raising you to Me; I will save you from the disbelievers.

4-  Other verses indicate that God had raised the soul of Jesus sometime before the crucifixion and that the one that was crucified by the Romans was no more than a moving but soulless body, similar to the body of one who goes into a coma, with his body functions still in operation, yet clinically dead.  One in that state would thus offer no response :

"Herod was extremely pleased to see Jesus. From the reports about him he had wanted for a long time to see him, and he was hoping to see him work some miracles. He questioned Jesus at considerable length, but Jesus made no response. The chief priests and scribes were at hand to accuse him vehemently. Herod and his guards then treated him with contempt and insult." [ Luke 23:8-11 ] 

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A- The words of 19:71 are as follows:

To expose this blatant error, let us read 29:27:

"We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, we assigned to his descendants prophethood and the scriptures, we endowed him with his due recompense in this life, and in the Hereafter he will surely be with the righteous."

The verse clearly says that God assigned to the descendants of Abraham prophethood and the Scripture.  The verse does NOT say that all prophets/messengers came from Abraham's seed.

The reader can read for himself and expose the errors of the author.

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The 7th universe, which is the smallest of the seven universes, and which is the innermost, and which we live in, is surrounded by the 6th universe.  The 5th universe surrounds the 6th ...and so on, till we get to the 1st universe, which is the greatest and outermost universe.

In that respect, anything that lies inside the 7th universe is also inside the 6th, 5th...... up to the 1st universe, since the 7th universe lies at the centre of all universes. 

The moon, sun, stars plus all the galaxies and the farthest heavily bodies (quasars) all lie inside the 7th and smallest universe.  That is the universe in which we live.

The moon, all the stars we see in the sky, plus all the galaxies we see are all part of the innermost 7th universes.  With this in mind, we can read all the verses quoted by the author and see no contradiction.

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If we read the verses (2:136, 2:285 and 3:84) we see that God commands all believers not to make any distinction  between any of His messengers:

3:84 

"Say, "We believe in GOD, and in what was sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and in what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord.  We make no distinction among any of them.   To Him alone we are submitters."

However, in 2:253 we are told that God Himself elevated some messengers above others. 

2:253

"These messengers; we blessed some of them more than others.  For example, GOD spoke to one, and we raised some of them to higher ranks. And we gave Jesus, son of Mary, profound miracles and supported him with the Holy Spirit." 

God is free to distinguish some messengers over others, after all it is God who created us all.  However, the command to the believers is simple and clear, and that is the human being is not to make any distinction among God's messengers. 

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When we read these verses we can see that they speak of two completely different types of people.

"Had they, when they wronged their souls, come to you and prayed to GOD for forgiveness, and the messenger prayed for their forgiveness, they would have found GOD Redeemer, Most Merciful." 4:64

"Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times - GOD will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieve in GOD and His messenger. GOD does not guide the wicked people." 9:80

In 4:64 God is speaking about those who have wronged their souls but have turned back to God and asked for His forgiveness. The fact that they asked forgiveness from God denotes that they believe in God, and for that we are told that "they would have found GOD Redeemer, Most Merciful."

 On the other hand, those spoken of in 9:80 are described by the words: "they disbelieve in GOD and His messenger" ………and because they are disbelievers, we are told that "GOD will not forgive them"

From these two verses we learn that forgiveness can be asked for any believer who repents and reforms, but may never be asked for disbelievers.

No contradiction exists between the two verses.

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"GOD has pardoned you: why did you give them permission (to stay behind), before you could distinguish those who are truthful from the liars?" 9:43

"The true believers are those who believe in GOD and His messenger, and when they are with him in a community meeting, they do not leave him without permission. Those who ask permission are the ones who do believe in GOD and His messenger. If they ask your permission, in order to tend to some of their affairs, you may grant permission to whoever you wish, and ask GOD to forgive them. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful." 24:62

If we read the two or three verses before 9:43 we clearly see that verse 43 speaks specifically about going out for battle while 24:62 is talking about leaving a community meeting to attend to some personal matters!

Just as is the case in any modern day country, no one is allowed to dodge military service except with a legitimate excuse, however any one wishing to be pardoned from a social or religious meeting does not need an urgent excuse.

This is exactly what these verses are saying.  In the case of war, the prophet was commanded not to give permission to those wishing to stay behind unless he verifies their excuse and sort the genuine from the others.

Verse 24:62 speaks of a community meeting, and thus there is no need for people to produce excuses to be pardoned.

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16:12. 

"He has ordained, in your service, the Night and the Day, as well as the Sun and the Moon. Also the Stars are ordained by His Command.  These are (sufficient) proofs for people who understand."

The verse does not say that the sun, moon and stars are subject to our commands,  but ordained by God for our service. 

The Arabic word used is 'Sakhar' which means (ordained).

The words "ordained by His Command"confirm that these heavenly bodies are controlled, and ordained by God.  Where did the author get the idea that they are controlled by man is indeed a mystery!

Indeed the sun, moon and the earth have been ordained to very precise specifications for the service of mankind . The following are some examples:

1-  If the sun was closer to the earth, present distance being 93 million miles, the temperature on earth would rise sharply causing the evaporation of oceans and rivers and the extermination of all life. If the sun was much further away the earth would freeze to death.

2- If the size of the earth was somewhat less than it's present size, say the size of the moon, it's gravity would have been much weaker. That would result in the failure of the earth to retain it's atmosphere or water vapour, and thus no life would have been possible. If the size of the earth, on the other hand, was larger than it's present size, say the size of Saturn or Jupiter, the gravity would have been too strong. That would cause the atmosphere to be compressed to much lower heights resulting in much higher air pressure. That would also abolish life on earth.

3- If the moon was closer to the earth, the tides would rise causing gigantic waves that would destroy life on islands and coastal areas. If the moon was further away from the earth the tides would come to a standstill leading to the stagnation of seas , the result of which would be grave damage to marine life. These very precise measurements of such variables as distance, mass, speed………..etc. are referred to in the following verses:

"The sun and the moon precisely computed……." 55:5

4- The earth spins on it's axis once every 24 hours. If it didn't spin, the oceans would empty all their waters and if it spun much faster it would disperse into empty space.

The spinning movement is also responsible for the night and day, without which one half of the earth would be under continuous sunlight and heat up excessively while the other half would be submerged in total darkness and freeze to death.

The Quran speaks of the spinning of the Earth by saying:

"He (God) coils the night onto the day and coils the day onto the night" 39:5

The word "coils" is quite accurate in describing the spinning movement.

5- The earth rotates round the sun once every 365.25 days. Whilst doing so it is tilted on it's axis at an angle of 33 degrees. As a result , the seasons occur making it possible for the habitation of the planet. If the earth was not tilted on its axis the poles would have been submerged in continuous cold darkness preventing the seasonal thaw of the polar ice. The accumulating ice would eventually result in unshifting frozen poles and little water elsewhere.

6- If the earth's crust had been thicker than it's present thickness all the oxygen would have been absorbed into the earth. Without oxygen no life would be possible. Similarly, if the oceans were much deeper, all the oxygen and carbon dioxide would have been absorbed into the oceans with similar results. 

All these precise specifications were referred to in the following verse:

"It is He who created the heavens and the earth in true proportions." 6:73 

In that respect, it is evident how the sun, earth and the moon are ordained by God to very precise attributes in service of mankind. 

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39

2:184

"Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is ill or travelling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better.  But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.

2:185 

"Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein.  Those who are ill or travelling may substitute the same number of other days. GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify GOD for guiding you, and to express your appreciation."

Nowhere in verse 184 do we read about any privileges granted to the rich to dodge the fasting!  This claim by the author is purely a creation of his imagination!  The choice of feeding a poor person (in place of fasting) is granted to those who can fast  "but with great difficulty"  and not to those who are rich !!!  The word rich (or any synonym of rich) does not appear in either verses.

Hence, the law of fasting is as follows:

1-  All those who are in good health are required to fast the month of Ramadan (regardless of their bank balance!!).

2-  Those who are travelling on long journeys, or who are ill, may "substitute the same number of other days"  at a later date.

3-  Those who cannot fast without experiencing great difficulty (e.g. diabetic, or other serious illness sufferers) may "substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast".

4-  It is made clear in these verses that God does not require to place any hardship on the believers for observing their fasting........"GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship"  and thus the concessions given for those with genuine excuses.

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40

2:234

"Those who die and leave wives, their widows shall wait four months and ten days (before they remarry)." 

This verse indeed speaks about the time a widowed wife should wait after her husband's death before re-marrying.   The reason for that wait is to make sure she is not carrying the child of the dead husband.  So that in the case that she finds herself pregnant the child should be named after his dead father and not the new husband

Now by reading 2:240, we clearly see that the subject is completely different:

2:240

"Those who die and leave wives, a will shall provide their wives with support (alimony) for a year, provided they stay within the same household. If they leave, you commit no sin by letting them do whatever they wish, so long as righteousness is maintained.  GOD is Almighty, Most Wise."

Immediately we see that the subject here is providing an alimony for the widowed wife for a complete year.  The verse also says that if she leaves, after the prescribed 4 months and 10 days, to get married,  then the alimony is discontinued (since she will have a husband to support her). 

Also note that the words "If they leave" are linked with the words "so long as righteousness is maintained"  or in other words, if they leave to re-marry after the prescribedperiod of 4 months and 10 days has elapsed, then they are acting within their rights. 

Therefore the subject of 2:234 is the time a widowed wife should wait before re-marrying, while the subject of 2:240 is the period a widowed wife is entitled for alimony from the dead husband's will, that being one year. The alimony is discontinued if the widowed wife re-marries before the year is over.

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