tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post114709989414523694..comments2024-02-20T15:17:48.594+11:00Comments on A.E.Brain: The Three Faces of IslamZoe Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1148299286426872722006-05-22T22:01:00.000+10:002006-05-22T22:01:00.000+10:00Yes, that's me. My unusual but not unique story is...Yes, that's me. My unusual but not unique story is told <A HREF="http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2006/05/annus-mirabilis.html" REL="nofollow">in a previous post</A>.<BR/><BR/>Now onto why I say the Holy Koran in its current form is the work of Man. Look at the <A HREF="http://www.secularislam.org/research/origins.htm" REL="nofollow">History of its compilation</A>. In many ways, it parallels the various Gnostic texts and Apocrypha of Christian writings.<BR/><BR/>As to why I have difficulty understanding it, just have a look at the simple section which is normally translated as follows: <BR/><I>Men are overseers over women, by reason of that wherewith Allah hath made one of them excel over another, and by reason of that which they expend of their substance. Wherefore righteous women are obedient, and are watchers in husbands absence by the aid and protection of Allah. And those wives whose refractoriness ye fear, exhort them, and avoid them in beds, and beat them; but if they obey you, seek not a way against them; verily Allah is ever Lofty, Grand." (Quran 4:34 A.M. Daryabad Trans.</I><BR/><BR/>Now please read the controversy over the meaning of <A HREF="http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/ArabChristian30907.htm" REL="nofollow"> Idriboohunna أضربوهن </A>.<BR/><BR/>You see, I have read the Holy Qu'ran, in several translations. I'm also aware that the Arabic script it's written in was not formalised until 300 years after the time of the Prophet(PBUH).<BR/><BR/>I may be incorrect in my conclusions, and my ignorance of Islamic Scholarship is vast, yet I daresay I know more Arab history than many Muslims. One of my hobbies was the study of the Sassanid Empire immediately before the battle of Dawa, you see.Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147972571574455262006-05-19T03:16:00.000+10:002006-05-19T03:16:00.000+10:00By the way is that you in the photo at the top le...By the way is that you in the photo at the top left hand corner of your blog?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147972262163184412006-05-19T03:11:00.000+10:002006-05-19T03:11:00.000+10:00MS Brain,Sorry for the misunderstanding on your se...MS Brain,<BR/>Sorry for the misunderstanding on your sex. Changing my opinions depends on what it is that you say. IF its credible I'll definately change my ways.<BR/>So what is it that you have to say Ms. Brain?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147674016885852852006-05-15T16:20:00.000+10:002006-05-15T16:20:00.000+10:00Mr Brain?Take that up with the Australian Departme...<I>Mr</I> Brain?<BR/><BR/>Take that up with the Australian Department of Health. Medically, I'm female.<BR/><BR/>Before I contiune though, may I ask you one question: is there any possible thing I might say that could possibly change your mind?Zoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147562784778849162006-05-14T09:26:00.000+10:002006-05-14T09:26:00.000+10:00Mr. Brain, You have offended me as muslim out of y...Mr. Brain, <BR/><BR/>You have offended me as muslim out of your ignorance which is manifest through out your text. I will only give a few examples of it. Dont take it personally but these examples should be enough to prove that your article lacks credibility as a whole.<BR/>i have scanned through your article and i have found errors in what ever bits that have come accross my view.<BR/>first quote: <BR/>have a few problems with "hearing and Obeying". The first is that my Arabic is almost nonexistent, so I must rely not on the Holy Koran as written, but its translations. I have to rely not on Allah's word, but what Men have said Allah said.<BR/>your not knowing the language of arabic is not a fault of God. the bible was sent down in aramaic..not more than a 20th of the world knew Aramaic at that time. The Bible and Torah has since been translated and retranslated into English and faithful Christians still believe its the word of God.<BR/>Thus we muslims believe the quran (the translations of which have no variations in meaning amongst themselves) are the word of God. <BR/><BR/>Second quote:<BR/>The second problem I have is that so much of what is in the Holy Koran seems contradictory. I believe there are whole schools of Islamic thought dedicated to sorting out which parts are superceded by later parts. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Now it's OK for the Compassionate, the Merciful, to change his mind as he goes along, if He wants to. Or perhaps He didn't, it's just our imperfect understanding of His word. But assuming His mind did change, what is to say it hasn't changed since? Surely Allah would be allowed to say "I had intended Mohammed(PBUH) as my Final Messenger, but I decided Ba'ha'ullah was needed too. There may be more after him." Surely He can do that, being the One God. He can do anything.<BR/><BR/>God said in the quran Muhammad is the last messenger. Since He is all Knowing as He describes himself..He would have said it if there were more messengers to come after Muhammad.<BR/><BR/>third quote:<BR/>Thye fourth problem is that the Holy Koran may have been fine as a guide to everything you had to need to know 1350 years ago, but it says nothing about homosexuality and people with 47xxy chromosomes rather than 46xx(female) or 46xy(male) ones. It says nothing about which direction to pray when in orbit, nor how many times, considering you may see 14 or more dawns every 24 hours when in low earth orbit. The Koran prohibits the forming of images of living things, and that at the Day of Judgment, the artist will be asked to breathe Life into them, the way Allah did, and if he can't, to the pit with him. But what about robots? What happens when the artist can make the picture or sculpted image move, breathe, live? What about genetic engineering? Haram or Halal?<BR/><BR/>Your ignorance about the quran is clearly manifested here. How could you miss the chapter about Lot and the ending of his homosexual tribe? <BR/>You say what about robots? on of the characteristics of a living organism, among others, is growth. Does a robot grow? NO. Will the artist be able to resurrect this creation of his in the Hereafter without the aid of a power source fashion to God giving life to the dead? NO.<BR/><BR/>You may have voiced your opinions out of ignorance, which i believe, is better than opining out of spite despite knowing the truth. Please check your facts and read the quran before you pass judgement on Islam. Don;t make conjectures. Making conjectures is what gives rise to doubts. Only take the facts. You shouldn't be saying the Quran is not the truth by saying that some things like "47xxy chromosomes" arent mentioned in it. Try proving the Quran wrong.. what Abdel Aziz bin Baz says abt the rotation of the Earth is his view and not God's. There is no evidence in the Quran that the Earth does not rotate.<BR/>I say it again. Please read the whole Quran before you pass judgement on IslamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147505959655999132006-05-13T17:39:00.000+10:002006-05-13T17:39:00.000+10:00As sala'amu alaikum, Anonymous.I have a few proble...As sala'amu alaikum, Anonymous.<BR/><BR/>I have a few problems with "hearing and Obeying". The first is that my Arabic is almost nonexistent, so I must rely not on the Holy Koran as written, but its translations. I have to rely not on Allah's word, but what Men have said Allah said.<BR/><BR/>The second problem I have is that so much of what is in the Holy Koran seems contradictory. I believe there are whole schools of Islamic thought dedicated to sorting out which parts are superceded by later parts. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Now it's OK for the Compassionate, the Merciful, to change his mind as he goes along, if He wants to. Or perhaps He didn't, it's just our imperfect understanding of His word. But assuming His mind did change, what is to say it hasn't changed since? Surely Allah would be allowed to say "I had intended Mohammed(PBUH) as my Final Messenger, but I decided Ba'ha'ullah was needed too. There may be more after him." Surely He can do that, being the One God. He can do anything.<BR/><BR/>The third problem I have with Islam as a whole is the Hadiths. Now assuming the every word, in Arabic, of the Holy Koran is God's word, Islam has accreted an awful lot apart from that. Which Hadiths are valid, and which are dubious? <BR/><BR/>Thye fourth problem is that the Holy Koran may have been fine as a guide to everything you had to need to know 1350 years ago, but it says nothing about homosexuality and people with 47xxy chromosomes rather than 46xx(female) or 46xy(male) ones. It says nothing about which direction to pray when in orbit, nor how many times, considering you may see 14 or more dawns every 24 hours when in low earth orbit. The Koran prohibits the forming of images of living things, and that at the Day of Judgment, the artist will be asked to breathe Life into them, the way Allah did, and if he can't, to the pit with him. But what about robots? What happens when the artist can make the picture or sculpted image move, breathe, live? What about genetic engineering? Haram or Halal?<BR/><BR/>The fifth problem I have with the Holy Koran as the direct and indisputable word of the One and Only God is the bits about the <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/stmetanat/platyquran.htm" REL="nofollow">Earth being Flat</A> (according to some ancient but authoritative texts), or round but definitely not rotating (the <A HREF="http://aebrain.blogspot.com/2004/11/retraction.html" REL="nofollow">modern view</A>).<BR/><BR/>I actually work with one very devout Muslim from the Saudi Space Research Institute, and the convoluted mathematics and physics required to make a stationary Earth with a rotating Universe around it conform to reality is quite astounding. Rotating frames of reference are non-inertial, so you have to assume that the laws of physics vary with time. It takes hundreds of thousands of lines of calculations for a simple problem assuming a stationary Earth, vs one line assuming a rotating one. And then the stationary Earth result is less accurate.<BR/><BR/>So alhough they <B>know</B> the Earth doesn't rotate, because Allah said it didn't, it's mathematically convenient to pretend it does.<BR/><BR/>Then there's the problem of reconciling the science of Biology with the creation of life from clots and dirt. (And since clots are derived from blood, which comes only from living things, where did that come from?) The Age of the Earth vs Geology. The whole of Evolutionary Theory.<BR/><BR/>I have no wish to make fun of or trivialise the Holy Koran. Not because there are a Billion Believers, some of whom would literally cut my throat for that. Even if there wasn't a single Muslim, I'd feel the same. There is wisdom there, and Justice, and Righteousness in it. But I believe that, despite the label saying "Genuine, Authentic Word of God, Accept No Imitations!", it is, in its current form, the work of Man. And I believe this because of evidence. Was it Divinely inspired? I don't know. I do know that either it, or our imperfect undrestanding of it, is flawed, and so it must be re-examined, and possibly re-interpreted. It's eithe wrong, or has been corrupted.<BR/><BR/>I crave your pardon if I have offended you, a guest at my site. I hope you will return, and correct any errors I may have made.<BR/><BR/>ZoeZoe Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13712045376060102538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5573426.post-1147491684373987232006-05-13T13:41:00.000+10:002006-05-13T13:41:00.000+10:00Nonsense... Islam doesnt change according to the t...Nonsense... Islam doesnt change according to the times. This is contrary to its spirit. Islam is only "pure" when it remains in Parrallel to the model of Medinan Society in the time of The Messenger of God. And Muslims see Medinan Society, regardless of how non muslims percieve it, as the Ultimate civil society built on Truth, Justice and Piety. A Model that was left for mankind as an example (and it was intented to be an example for all times by The One Above The Seven Heavens who revealed it) and more importantly, a model that will return, and will become a global phenominan "again", at least with the arrival of Jesus Son Of Mary again. Islam hence doesnt change, and wont change. The Qur'an is God Word - Period! How can anyone change and tamper with Gods word? The Jews did, and so did the christians, but what did it bring them except the pleasure of Satan and the Wrath of The Most Blessed Almight God? And what will their faces be like on The Day Of Judgement, Also known as The Day of Repayment? Islam doesnt change according to the times! It is Gods Law which will stay intact! Without it mankind has no direction. If God States that Homosexuality is an accursed and degrading act, this cannot be changed to suit a Godless generation of Homosexuals! Regardless of the number, or the positions they may hold in a society! If God states that adultury and fornication are crimes, they will stay crimes always, regardless of the amount of people indulging in it! In the same way, Gods Law cannot be picked and chosen. This is contrary to the Spirit of "We Hear and We Obey" For the countless blessings the God has given us and continues to do so, blessings such that if you were to convert all the trees in the world into pens, and all the seas into ink, and then bring this amount again seven times over, you still wouldnt be able to list the blessings, for those blessings, and for everything good that you have in your life, God isnt asking much! Only that you... "Hear and Obey"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com