In the name of GOD, the Almighty, Most Merciful.

After being around for a number of years now, the movement of Islam based on
'GOD Alone' has caused some stir in the circles of 'traditionalists' who seek to
silence our voices while implementing their corruption of the holy scriptures to
allow for tyranny, oppression, and uncompassion as a way to GOD!.

We have selected a number of articles written against our position by these

'Islamists' and will easily (by the grace of GOD) show the inconsistencies
with their arguments (our comments are in red).

21. The Sunna

No one has seen God. He is not normally known except through the
Messengers He sends. Religions, therefore, exist because people believe the
Messengers. They are the manifestation of Allah and His representatives on
earth. A person enters into Islam by the confession of Faith, the Shahadah. This
states:-

There is a problem right here from the beginning of this article...GOD is known
to His creation through His manifest signs all around us (the earth, the
livestock, our children, even ourselves). To claim that GOD is only known
through His messengers is a fallacy.

"Why do they not reflect on the camels and how they are created?. And the sky
and how it is raised. And the mountains and how they are constructed. And the
earth and how it is built." (Quran 88:17-20)

"The earth is full of signs for those who are certain. And within yourselves; can
you see?" (51:20-21)

"There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

This may be interpreted as meaning that the first self-evident assumption we

have to make is that Reality exists, and the second is that consciousness exists
without which we cannot be aware of reality. In particular it refers to the
greater reality of which we are normally aware only a small part, because our
capacity for awareness is limited. The Messenger is, therefore, described as a
Lamp through which the Light of Allah shines.

As shown above, this argument is 'flawed' in the foundation that the messengers
are the only way to know GOD, and therefore it is not representing the 'reality'
we exist in here on Earth. Also, this testimony is a 'Sunni' innovation that has
not been derived from the book of GOD for us to speak about, but has been
related through the narrations of hadith (specifically the hadith of Abu Huraira).

"O Prophet! Surely We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of good
news and as a Warner, and as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and
as a light-giving lamp." 33:45-46

There is no doubt that the 'prophet' is a light which is being shone to bring man
out of the darkness...That has indeed been the function of all prophets sent time
and time again, to guide mankind out of the darkness and to do so with a
scripture that is revealed to them:

"The people used to be one community when GOD sent the prophets as bearers
of good news, as well as warners. He sent down with them the scripture,
bearing the truth, to judge among the people in their disputes..." (2:213)

Owing to sin and the consequent expulsion of man from Paradise, he has lost
contact with God and the divine spirit within him (59:19). He therefore, lacks
inner guidance which consciousness, conscience and will should provide. But
God in His Mercy sends Messengers to guide man. These are those who still
retain contact with the Spirit and with God (95:4-6). The Prophet is in complete
submission to Allah and has the task of conveying the revelation he receives.
Belief in these revelations is, therefore, connected with belief in the Prophet -
the two go together. The message or Word of God remains remote unless
demonstrated in the life of a human messenger. That is why we are required to
make no distinction in purpose between God and the Messengers (4:150-151).

The expulsion of man from paradise would also include these same
'messengers' of whom the author is speaking (unless they are non-
human)...Therefore, the messengers have found grace with GOD not through
'other' messengers to guide them, but by walking the path of GOD themselves
and showing righteousness.

"When he saw the sun rising, he said, "This must be my Lord. This is the
biggest." But when it set, he said, "O my people, I denounce your idolatry. "I
have devoted myself absolutely to the One who initiated the heavens and the
earth; I will never be an idol worshiper." (6:78-79)

In the story of Abraham is a lesson for us all...Man may at any time (even on
the remotest island) find the path to GOD by using the 'senses' with which we
have been bestowed.
"You shall not uphold what you have no knowledge of. The hearing, the
eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them." (17:36)

The mission of the Prophet Muhammad, as that of other Prophets, was the
transmission, explanation, demonstration and application of the Quran.

"O Messenger! Deliver what has been revealed to you from your
Sustainer; and if you do it not, then you have not delivered His message,
and Allah will protect you from the people; surely Allah will not guide the
unbelieving people." 5:67

"And We have revealed the Book to you which has the clear explanation of
everything, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who
submit." 16:89

"Surely We have revealed the Book to you with the truth that you may
judge between people by means of that which Allah has shown you; and be
not an advocate on behalf of the treacherous." 4:105

"And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is
before it of the Book and a guardian over it, therefore judge between them
by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires (to turn
away) from the truth that has come to you;" 5:48

All the above verses verify that the prophet was to 'deliver, apply, and judge' in
all matters according to the Book. What we do not find is support for the claim
the author has made of 'explanation' of the Book. Especially since 16:89 quoted
above makes the Book an 'explanation' for all things (and not the prophet).

Therefore: -

"Whoso obeys the Messenger he has obeyed Allah; and he who turns away
- We have not sent thee as a warder over them." 4:80

"Verily, you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for him
who hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. " 33:21

" Thus have We sent amongst you an apostle of yourselves, to recite to you
Our signs, to purify you and teach you the Book and Wisdom, and to teach
you what ye did not know; " 2:151 also 62:2, 2:231
"But nay, by thy lord, they will not believe (in truth) until they make thee
judge of what is in dispute between them and find within themselves no
dislike of that which thou decidest, and submit with full submission." 4:65

"Allah was surely very gracious to the believers, when He sent amongst
them a Messenger from among themselves (or of their own), who recite to
them His revelations, and causes them to grow (or be purified), and
teaches them the Scripture and Wisdom, although they surely were before
his time in manifest error. " 3:164

"We have revealed to you the Reminder that you may make clear to men
what has been revealed to them, and that haply they may reflect. 16:44

"And We have not revealed to you the Book except that you may make
clear to them that about which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a
mercy for a people who believe." 16:65 The Prophet is to make clear.

These are all 'excellent' verses being used to prove the case that the prophet and
messengers did not rule except by the word of GOD Alone.

Where the prophet is told to 'judge' amongst the people (4:65), has already been
clarified by the author by using (4:105) above to show that the only instrument
for judging amongst the people is the book itself.

Also, 16:65 could not have been better placed to make our case.

"O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those in
authority amongst you; and if ye dispute (quarrel or argue) about
anything, refer to Allah and the Messenger, if ye (in truth) believe in Allah
and the Last Day; that is better and fairer in the end." 4:59

Note: The third authority, Uli-l-Amr, not Ahl-ul-Bayt (the Prophet's family) as
some people think, do not have the right to settle controversies or
disagreements independently, but must follow Allah and the Messenger.

This is where a 'jump' in logic has been made which we need to stop at. The
author has done a superb job of introducing all the verses above which show
that the prophet can only judge by the Book, and that he was to simple 'deliver'
this message to mankind as well as live in its application...Yet, the author has
disregarded all this information and moved on to an 'assumption' that 'Obey the
Messenger' means something beyond what has already been stated, and that it
involves in some form or manner the idea of legislation. Remember, according
to 16:89, 16:44, 16:65, 4:65, 4:105, and 5:48, the author has already shown that
the prophet was only authorized to 'deliver' the Book, and 'judge' with the
Book...Therefore to obey the messenger can only mean to 'obey the message' or
else a grave contradiction is created in the words of the Book.

"Whoever obeys the messenger is obeying GOD. As for those who turn away,
we did not send you as their guardian." (4:80)

"And when there comes to them a matter of security or fear they

broadcast it; but if they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in
authority amongst them, then those of them who can think would know it;
but were it not for Allah's grace upon you and His mercy you would have
followed Satan, save a few." 4:83

Muslims follow the Prophet because he is an example of one who had

surrendered to Allah according to the verse :-

"Say: Verily, my worship and my sacrifice, and my living and my dying

belong to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner. This I am
commanded, and I am foremost of those who surrender (unto Him)"
6:163-164

Yes, there is no doubt at all that the messenger of GOD is a 'great' example for
all to follow and learn how to apply the law in their lives...Yet, we find that this
is the case with ALL GOD's messengers who walk in the light of GOD:

"A good example has been set for you by Abraham and those with him. They
said to their people, "We disown you and the idols that you worship besides
GOD. We denounce you, and you will see nothing from us except animosity
and hatred until you believe in GOD ALONE. "However, a mistake was
committed by Abraham when he said to his father, "I will pray for your
forgiveness, but I possess no power to protect you from GOD." "Our Lord, we
trust in You, and submit to You; to You is the final destiny." (60:4)

As the example of Abraham has been recorded in the Book, so has the example
of Mohammed been recorded to show us 'what' this good example is:

"The messenger of GOD has set up a good example for those among you who
seek GOD and the Last Day, and constantly think about GOD. When the true
believers saw the parties (ready to attack), they said, "This is what GOD and
His messenger have promised us, and GOD and His messenger are
truthful."This (dangerous situation) only strengthened their faith and
augmented their submission." (33:21-22)

The doings and saying of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) are known as the
Sunna and constitute the third foundation of Islam after Allah and the Quran.

A great 'leap-of'-faith' has just been made with the above statement with no
foundation whatsoever!. The definition for 'Sunnah' is being given not from the
Book of GOD, but from the teachings of the Sunni scholars who deem it to be
such.

In-fact, the word Sunna is used in the Quran to simply mean 'way':

"Tell those who disbelieved: if they stop, all their past will be forgiven. But if
they return, they will incur the same fate as the way (Sunna) of their previous
counterparts." (8:38)

Even GOD has a 'Sunnah', and what better way for all to follow that that of
GOD Himself:

"...You will find that GOD's way (Sunna) is never changeable; you will find
that GOD's way (Sunna) is immutable." (35:43)

These can be regarded as the interpretation and application of the Quran for the
nature of the people, the conditions, the times and place in which the Prophet
found himself. They are not, therefore, necessarily universal and eternal truths.
But because he had to deal with people of various degrees of intelligence and
mental and spiritual sophistication, the material in the Sunna also varies, or it
may have several levels of meaning, or the meaning or intent of an item may
not be easily understood.

We have already discussed the issue of 'interpretation/explanation'. The Book is

the explanation of all things, and the prophet was merely to deliver and to live
according to these commands. The definition being given above is once again
flawed and misleading in this regards.

An interesting point to note is that the author speaks of the 'Sunna's having
'multiple levels of meanings' and not being easily understood...I must ask, if it
is acknowledged as not being clear and having multiple meanings, then how
can it be thought of as explaining the Book when it needs explanation itself!.
The Sunna is found in (a) the Quran because Muhammad (saw) practiced it. (b)
the practices of muslims in so far as they were instituted by the Prophet (saw)
and are handed down to us unchanged over the centuries. (c) Because of their
importance for religion, Muslims recorded these traditions in great detail and
much research was done by Islamic scholars to establish their genuineness.
There is a complete science devoted to this subject. These records are known as
the Hadith. They are equivalent to the New Testament, which are also records
by third parties. But because the teaching was more important than the history,
the Hadith consist of a collection of separate episodes rather than a continuous
narration. As in the case of previous scriptures they are judged by the Quran.
That which is found to be in conformity with the Quran is accepted and that
which contradicts it is rejected. Other things may not be clear but not
incompatible with the Quran and judgement can be reserved.

Overlooking the error is using the word 'Sunna', we find a number of elements
being introduced at this stage which need to be broken down:

a) The Sunna is found in the Quran.

The life and actions of the prophet which are significant have indeed been
recorded in the Holy Book. This was shown above with the examples of
Abraham and Mohammed both being related for us to identify with. We agree
with the author on this point.

b) The practices of Muslims insofar as they were instituted by the prophet.

This point seems to encompass anything and everything that the writer would
like to place in it. First of all, there has been no supporting evidence for this
statement using GOD's Book (to the contrary, the verses used showed the Book
to set the law and the prophet to judge by it). We therefore reject this statement
for being a) vague, and b) unsupported.

c) The Science of Hadith.

We are now introduced to a new science called 'Hadith' which the author uses
to support his claims. This science we are told is akin to that of the 'New
Testament'. Perhaps the author forgot that the teachings of Christianity derived
from the New Testament (son of GOD, Trinity, Jesus is GOD) have all been
'outlawed' in the Book of GOD and are considered a gross blasphemy!.

What is interesting here is that the author mentions that the Hadith 'must
conform with the Quran' and that what does not conform may be held in
reserve judgement. If this is the case, then there seems to be nothing 'scientific'
about this method which at the end is made to be compared to the Book! (i.e.
all the careful tracing of narrations is invalid if it contradicts the Quran to start
with).

However, Islam, unlike Christianity and other religions, makes a distinction

between Allah, the source, the Word of God and the Prophet, who is a
messenger. There is, therefore, a distinction between that which is revealed to
Muhammad (saw) and that which comes from his own opinions, between what
arises in the higher more objective consciousness which is infallible and what
arises in the ordinary mundane mind which is fallible. The Prophet was a man
("Say: I am only a mortal like you" 18:110) and to prevent his deification by
his followers, as in the case of Jesus, his fallibility is recorded in the Quran
itself (e.g. 80:1-12). This prevents the distortion of the message by making the
messenger into an object of worship. The Quran, therefore, takes priority over
the Sunna.

This is a 'murky water' area the author has stepped into...We are first told that
there is a 'science' called Hadith which records the Sunna of the prophet and
has been in-place for generations (as long as it does not contradict the Quran
mind you!), but in the same breath, we are now told that the prophet was a
'man' and that some of his actions were not divine, but were fallible. What we
are not told in this case is 'how' people who follow the 'Sunna' are taught to
distinguish between the opinions of man, and between divine instructions. The
only clue given at the end was 'The Quran takes priority over the Sunna'!.

We ask the author: 'if you keep coming back to the Quran for authentication
and verification, then why have you left it to start with?'.

The Prophet (saw) is reported to have said: -

"My words do not abrogate Allah's words, but Allah's words abrogate
mine and some of His abrogate others."

This is an example of 'Hadith' which is related to the prophet but has not been
recorded in the Holy scripture.

"Some of my Sunna abrogate others just as some parts of the Quran

abrogate others."

The science of Sunna may have 'abrogation', but this is a false statement when
directed at the Quran (6:34, 6:115, 18:27).
"I am only a human being, so when I command you about a thing
pertaining to religion, do accept it, and when I command you about a thing
out of my personal opinion, keep it in mind that I am a human being."

Obviously, the Prophet gave instructions or made statements according to the

needs of the time and as conditions changed these instructions and statements
also changed. Thus the apparent contradictions in the various reports can be
resolved by understanding them in the context of the conditions to which they
relate. Some of the reports appear to be very naive, simplistic, superstitious and
sometimes even immoral and according to hostile critics, depraved. But it is
necessary to understand that many of the reports about the Prophet are
inventions by people who wished to establish their own importance or cater for
their own prejudices or the interests of a ruler or merchant. Others are in
metaphorical language. Much was reported about things that were overheard
without knowing the full context and circumstances. The Prophet also spoke
according to the level of understanding of his listeners and had to do what he
could with the human material (relatively primitive) at his disposal and in the
conditions that he faced. The Prophet cannot, therefore, be judged only by his
words or actions without considering these other two factors, or from the point
of view of other times and places. This, of course, also means that it is not
wisdom to imitate the Prophet without understanding in these modern days.
The religion was brought to facilitate human development and should not be
used to obstruct and fossilize it.

What we are told above does not add any comfort to the 'science' of Hadith &
Sunna which already had a weak foundation and no support from the Book to
start with. We are now introduced with an even more alarming admission from
the author: 'many of the reports about the Prophet are inventions by people who
wished to establish their own importance'. If the author sees the Hadith as
having 'multi meanings', and is 'not easy to understand', and 'having to be
referred back to the Quran' for validity, and that 'much of it is fabricated'...Does
this add comfort or fear for its followers?.

There are about 65 criteria by which Hadith are judged. Some of these are as
follows :-

Each Hadith has two sections - the text (matn) and the chain of reporters
(isnad). The Hadith are then classified according to (1) Authority - the Prophet,
Companion or Successor. (2) Links whether it is continuous, supported, broken,
hurried, hanging, perplexing. (3) The number of reporters - consecutive,
isolated, scarce, strange, rare, strong or famous. (4) The manner of reporting -
"on the authority of", "he narrated to us", "he informed us", "I heard". (5) The
nature of the text and transmission - what authority the reporter had, how
reliable he was, did the text include inappropriate or unlikely expressions e.g.
vulgarities, contradiction of Quranic teachings, whether it contains interpolated
opinions, or is it a rendering by the narrator rather than the original. (6) Hidden
defects - e.g. only part of something may have been heard giving a wrong
impression or a word or context was misunderstood. (7) Trustworthiness of
reporters, reliability of memory - sound, good, weak, fabricated. The causes of
fabrication were given as political differences, doctrinal sectarianism, heresies,
inventions by storytellers, ignorance, racial and sectional prejudices, self-
interest, conversion of proverbs. Thus we see that Hadith literature varies
greatly in quality and reliability.

This is all very 'overwhelming' to hear how many filters and tests this science
adheres to...Yet, what we are not told is that a) the prophet has no authority
beyond the words of GOD, and b) the author raises doubts as to the validity of
'many' Hadiths which have undergone this same complex screening method
(i.e. the filters do not stop lies, but rather give them authenticity).

But though this is far more than was done for the New Testament, we find that
there are still different versions of the same event, and differences of opinion as
to the importance of various Hadith and about which should be accepted. There
are many contradictory Hadith, some even contradict the Quran, some are
obscure or trivial. Very little is said about the meaning, circumstances or
context in which something was said and done, and what the mood or
intentions were, what the explanation for some obscure remarks was, how it
was understood by different people, whether it was clear, ambiguous, literal,
metaphorical or symbolic, whether it was an instruction, statement, example,
suggestion, observation, humorous, a consolation, a rebuke, what level of
understanding it was meant for, what it applied to and whether it had universal
application or was something confined to a certain time, space or people,
applied to specific cases or general ones. But there appears to be an esoteric or
little known, mostly verbal chain of transmission in which the meaning,
significance and application of the hadith are better understood.

Very impressive sounding words, yet in the heart of it we read again: 'There are
many contradictory Hadith, some even contradict the Quran'...

There are several different collections of Hadith, which were written down only
many years after the death of the Prophet and all witnesses. Things get distorted
in proportion to the length of the chain when passed verbally from person to
person, and the quality and piety of the people involved. The chain of
transmission of some Hadith does not contain people of known veracity.
Sectarians have selected, added and subtracted things to suit their own
prejudices or interests, and the sects have their own sets of Hadith, which differ
from those of other sects.

It seems that the author is not himself convinced of what he is writing: 'Things
get distorted in proportion to the length of the chain when passed verbally from
person to person'. We are also told that each 'sect' has different sets of Hadith to
suite their own needs...So, they do not even agree amongst themselves on this
'science' that they have followed and preferred to the clear instructions given to
them by GOD through the messenger?.

There are about 700,000 Hadith attributed to the Prophet. Of these more than
90% were rejected by early Muslims as not authentic or doubtful. Malik
accepted 500, Hanbal 40,000, Bukhary 7275, Muslim accepted 4000. Each of
these collectors accepted as true sources people whom the others rejected.
Muslim is said to have rejected 434 persons accepted by Bukhari and Bukhari
rejected 625 persons accepted by Muslim. Some reports were accepted from
witnesses who had known the Prophet for only a day or from children as young
as 8 years old. Yet it was well known that there were liars and hypocrites
among the people who professed Islam as the Quran states (9:101-102, 63:1-2)
The choice was no doubt also affected by their own preferences and prejudices.
However critics of the various collections of Hadith are prone to the same
failings.

This is getting muddier indeed. Out of 700,000 hadiths, 90% were being
rejected as being not authentic or doubtful'!. Early Muslims it seems had no
problem in lying or inventing stories about GOD or His messenger...yet we are
told this is a 'science'?. What is again alarming is that the collectors of Hadith
did not even agree amongst themselves as to who was trustworthy and who was
not in being a narrator!. So, if you followed Bukhari you would get certain laws
in the religion, whereas if you only followed Muslim you would get something
quite different.

In any case, since the Hadith contain the interpretations and applications of the
Quran for the particular times when the Prophet lived, they are regarded by
some people as having less relevance in other times and places, particularly our
own times where the conditions of life have changed quite dramatically owing
to the development of science, technology, organization, education and
commerce. These have shrunk the world and made it into a single place where
all are much more inter-dependent. However, they still have value in showing
us under what circumstances some of the Quranic verses were revealed, how
they were understood by the Prophet and his companions, and as examples of
how the Quran could be adapted and applied.

The author seems to be close to outright rejecting all the Hadiths as being 'less
relevant' today, and would like them kept for their 'historic or contextual' value.
What the author fails to mention is that the Hadith actually provide LAWS
which most Islamic states adhere to as if they were adhering to the laws of
GOD (stoning adulterers, killing apostates, cutting hands of thieves,
circumcision, counting the testimony of 1 man as equal to 2 women, allowing
slavery, forbidding women from praying during menstruation, forbidding gold
& silk for men, forbidding certain foods, etc..).

According to a Hadith, the Prophet left his followers as guidance two things :-
the Quran and his Sunna (the traditions or sayings and doings of the Prophet).
Another variation says that the two things that he left were the Quran and his
descendants, the Ahlul Bayt. This, among other things, gave rise to two streams
of Islam - the Sunnis and the Shiahs. Each has its own separate collection of
Hadith. Some Muslims are not happy with the divisions in Islam and its
imprisonment in tradition while times have changed, leaving Islam maladapted.
They assume that if the importance of the Hadith were to be reduced then
sectarianism would come to an end, Muslims would unite, become free of the
weight that disables them, and once again march forward as in the past. It is
thought by some that the corruption of Islam is the result of increasing
abandonment of the Quran in favour of doubtful Hadith. Indeed, the Quran
itself warns us :-

Use a Hadith to justify the Hadith!. It is interesting that both the Sunni & Shia
can only refer to a 'Hadith' to give themselves legitimacy...Apparently the Book
making 'all thing clear' did not cover these points for them?.

"Thus have We appointed unto every Prophet an adversary - devils of

humankind and jinn who inspire in one another plausible discourse
through guile. If thy Lord willed they would not do so. So leave them alone
with their devising that the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter
may incline thereto, and that they may take pleasure therein, and that they
may earn what they are earning." 6:113-114

This sounds like a 'prophecy' if ever there was one...Will the Muslims not then
take heed?.

"On the day (of Judgment) when the wrong-doer gnaws his hand he will
say: Ah would that I had chosen a way together with the Messenger! Alas
for me! Ah, would that I had never taken such a one for friend! He verily
led me astray from the Reminder (Quran) after it had reached me. Satan
was ever man's deserter in the hour of need. And the Messenger says : O
my Lord! Lo! Mine own folk make this Quran of no account." 25:27-30

The messenger who is said to be the 'source' of Hadith & Sunna is telling his
people on the day of judgement: 'My Lord, my people have deserted this
Quran'. And we are still being told that Hadith is a part of GOD's religion!.

"When the hypocrites come unto thee (O Muhammad) they say: We bear
witness that thou art indeed Allah's messenger, and Allah bears witness
that the Hypocrites are lying. They make their faith a pretext so that they
may turn men from the way of Allah. Verily, evil is that which they are
wont to do." 63:1-2

What is the message here?. That the people who bear witness that Mohammed
is the messenger (i.e. the 1st pillar in Sunni Islam) are in-fact bearing the
testimony of the hypocrites!. Would anyone in their right mind continue to
recite the Sunni 'Shahada' after knowing this?.

"So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their
desires, but beware of them lest they seduce you from some part of that
which Allah has revealed unto you." 5:49

Can it ever be any clearer than this?.

The above criticisms gave rise, among other things, to a "Quran only"
movement which reject all Hadith. But the problem is that people would still
differ about the interpretation and application of the Quran, and specially so
when no Hadith offered any guidance. The number of sects could well increase.
Sectarianism, as the verses above indicate, depends also on taking as authorities
Leaders and Books other than Muhammad (saw) and the Quran, not just
different collection of Hadith. This could be regarded as Idolatry or Shirk in so
far as they are not sent by Allah but treated as if they were.

Would the author rather people stay on the path of Hadith & Sunna to avoid
'disunity & sectarianism', or would the author be more interested in doing what
is 'right' in the eyes of GOD?.

The 'Quran Only' is a contradictory slogan which is being used to 'label' any
who call for a return to Islam as Submission to GOD Alone and no other...The
word is contradictory since only the 'framework of law / legal principles' can be
derived from the Quran, while all else is derived from the life around us...That
is the 'Sunna' of GOD.

On the other hand, a consensus may be reached that:- Muslims must use their
faculties (Aql); are allowed to reach different opinions; but that these should be
held tentatively not rigidly because Allah knows best; and that it is He who will
eventually decide; and that they should then settle their affairs by mutual
consultation and agreement as the Quran requires (17:36, 5:48, 3:159, 5:48).
There is also a Hadith that states that an Islamic community (one that adheres
to the Quran) can never reach a wrong consensus. This is because they will ask
for, and obtain, the guidance by Allah himself.

What is the message here by the author?. That he is willing to compromise on

the issue of Hadith & Sunna to be replaced with consultations and open
discussion of affairs. If this is the case, then all we who call for the rule of the
Book of GOD will welcome such an understanding as that is the only thing we
have wanted all along...

The early Muslims recorded the outer life of the Prophet in great detail hoping
that by imitating this they could also attain an equivalent inner spiritual state.
But not a great amount is known about the motives behind every action.
Therefore, when histories of his life came to be written we find great variations
in the account by different people because they insist on interpreting his actions
according to their various inclinations and attributing motives from their own
imagination. We have highly admiring accounts as well as very hostile,
denigrating and cynical ones. Some thought that he was no more than a bandit
raiding caravans with an eye for young girls while others thought he was a
master of strategy. Some thought that he should be judged by the mores and
culture which were current in Arabia in his times and others saw him as
introducing revolutionary social and psychological changes from a system
based on personalities and tribal loyalties to one based on ideas and loyalties to
an ideology. He had to deal with indeterminate transitional times where the old
system was being destroyed and the new system had to be constructed. The
whole direction of history had to be changed.

Yes, this is amongst some of the problems the hadith followers have
created...They depict the messenger of GOD from being 'demonic' to being
'saintly'...All this of-course could have been avoided had they simply stuck to
the 'authentic' narrations of his life contained in the Book of GOD.

Others see things at a still more fundamental level - his task was to introduce a
completely new attitude and consciousness, from a subjective to an objective
way of living, a revolution that is not yet complete. From an Islamic point of
view the prophet (saw) was no ordinary man. This is shown by the existence of
the Quran, which is in itself a masterpiece of literature, contains a sophisticated
teaching, new heights, widths and depths of which come to light from time to
time. It is also shown by the great successes against great odds that the Prophet
achieved. This being the case it is unjustifiable presumption to judge the
Prophet by the ordinary standards that apply to ordinary mortals. Therefore, all
judgments, particularly when they go against the moral code contained in the
Quran, are rejected. He was himself an exemplar of the Quran. Indeed, the
Quran itself indicates in 18:61-83 how a person led by Allah differs from
others. There is sufficient evidence in the Hadith to show that because his task
was to raise the level of morality of a relatively primitive and barbaric people
his actions and the actions he allowed were often not to his own high standards
but he often had to compromise in order to accommodate the level of
understanding of his followers. The materials one works with limit what can be
done. Had he insisted on the standards his followers could not reach or
maintain, he would not have had any followers, and no transformation would
then have been possible.

The author writes: 'his actions and the actions he allowed were often not to his
own high standards but he often had to compromise in order to accommodate
the level of understanding of his followers'.

I am amazed that such a claim can be made against the prophet which
contradicts what GOD has told us:

"If it were not that we strengthened you, you almost leaned towards them just a
little bit. Had you done that, we would have doubled the retribution for you in
this life, and after death, and you would have found no one to help you against
us." (17:74-75)

The promise was to preserve the Quran not the Hadith (17:46). The Quran was
to be regarded as the Prophet's only miracle, though he is reported to have
performed several. Miracles are no proof of the truth of the teaching and give
no understanding. Both the Quran and the Hadith insist that Muhammad (saw)
was a human being who was fallible. Therefore, the Sunna cannot be infallible.
On the other hand, Muhammad (saw) was known to be truthful and trustworthy
even before his mission began, and he was guided and corrected by Allah after
his mission began. Allah speaks to mankind only through prophets (2:213,
12:109, 6:125, 16:2) and we are to make no distinction between Allah and the
Prophets (4:150-151). The Prophet was in complete Surrender to Allah (6:163-
164). Therefore, he did not follow his own subjective opinions. He is said to
have been "The Quran in Action." His life is an interpretation and application
of the Quran. The Quran itself uses the word "sunna" several times for itself (
e.g. 12:111). The Quran is the best Hadith (39:23). When, therefore, we speak
about the Sunna of Muhammad, this may be regarded as referring to "Quran in
action" to differentiate it from the Quran as a Book or Recitation or as a theory,
thought or teaching. Thus, though all genuine religion is Islam, the Sunna of
Muhammad differs from that of Jesus or Moses.

Linking Mohammed to being 'truthful & honest' is meant to imply that the
Sunna cannot be otherwise. Yet the author already made clear that 'much' of the
Hadith was dubious or fabricated, as well as the people reporting them may
have not fully understood what was really being said.

Some people point to the following verse as implying that Islam should be
based only on the Quran:-

"And when you recite the Quran We place between you and those who
believe not in the Hereafter a hidden barrier. And we place upon their
hearts veils lest they should understand it, and in their ears a deafness, and
when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their
backs in aversion." 17:45-46

But this refers to Allah not the Quran. Allah also sent the Torah and Injil.

Mentioned 'GOD Alone' has been clearly set as a 'criteria' for distinguishing
people who believe in Him from those who associate other with Him:

When GOD ALONE is advocated, the hearts of those who do not believe in the
hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned besides Him,
they rejoice (39:45).

The Quran, moreover, points to nature and the Universe, to human history and
to human faculties and expects us to use these. Obviously we are to learn from
these. It tells us to seek knowledge and follow only that of which we have
knowledge, not speculation and conjecture (17:36, 10:37). The Quran does not,
in fact, contain a complete Legal system, nor an Economic, Political or Cultural
system, nor a Cosmology or other sciences and crafts. It contains a
developmental system and requires human beings to act as vicegerents in the
service of Allah using the faculties given by Him.
The first part of this paragraph contradicts the opening statements where the
author told us that GOD only manifests Himself to us through the messengers
(now we are told that nature and the universe are also to be looked at!).

However, in the second part the author makes some wild statements with no
support (that the book does not contain a legal system or an economic system,
or political system). This is clearly being done to 'undermine' the Book and
give necessity to the Hadith & Sunna which will save the day. The Book of
GOD has been identified as the 'ultimate judge' (6:114) in all matters. Therefore
to claim it does not contain legal or economic or political guidelines is not to
have read the book at all.

There is a difference between the Quran itself and the interpretation and
application of it. We do not only need the Quran but also someone who
interprets and applies it. Few people can learn only from books - they usually
require a teacher also. Otherwise they may interpret the Quran according to
their fantasies and prejudices and select only that which they like. Because all
this is well known in all fields, we have educational systems with teachers in all
countries.

Again, the author compares the Book of GOD with a 'human' book which it is
not...

The principles within the Book of GOD 'justice, fairplay, mercy, righteousness,
etc..' are not interpreted according to 'fantasies', but are a part of the clear
ethical laws which any layman willing to read the words will clearly
understand...It is this which makes the 'foundation' of the message and the main
point of communication that GOD continued to send through His messengers.

The Quran tells us :-

"O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those of you
who are in authority; and if you have a dispute concerning any matter,
refer it to Allah and the Messenger if you are in truth believers in Allah
and the Last Day. That is better and more seemly in the end." 4:59

Notice that if there is a dispute it should be taken to Allah and the Messenger,
but not to the third kind of authority. We can take it to Allah by studying the
Quran and through meditation and prayer. How do we take it to the Messenger?
Obviously by studying what he had to say on the subject or how he dealt with
it. In both cases we also consult those whom we consider authorities e.g.
teachers, scholars or leaders of religion, Imams, Sheikhs etc.
Obeying the messenger has been subtly made into obeying the 10% of Hadith
that the author has stated were collected after sifting through 700,000 narrations
which had dubious origins. Where did the author get this authority to link
between 'obey the messenger' and to obey the Hadith & Sunna collections?.
Also, the author said that the 10% of Hadith was not all taken by the compilers
(some thought this person was worthy, others did not)...So, which book of
hadith does 'obey the messenger' tell us is the real one (Bukhari collection,
Muslims, Tirmidhi) or ALL of them?. This interpretation obviously opens a
Pandora's Box with every people making it to mean what they would like it to
mean.

If the messenger has already been established to judge by the book and nothing
else (6:19, 16:89, 5:48-50), then how does the author justify this leap of faith
that creates a clear contradiction?.

To obey the messenger is to obey the message...To do this, leads to obeying

GOD (since the messenger was the one to deliver the word of GOD).

The people who consider themselves "Quran only" are in fact following people
like Dr. Khalifa who are a third authority. They form another sect. But the
above verse does not consider this third authority to be qualified to settle
disputes.

We are back to the use of this 'Quran Only ' phrase with a new addition 'Dr.
Khalifa'...Dr. Khalifa to our research appeared with a renowned call to the
Quran in the mid-70's early 80's. How he is suddenly linked to 'GOD Alone' is
beyond undertsanding since this call has been at the core of GOD's message to
humanity since Noah.

It is necessary to point out that the "Quran only" people are quite right about
following only the Quran. But they are wrong in supposing that if one follows
Muhammad (saw) then this is not following the Quran. To obey the Prophet is
to obey Allah. One could go one step further and say "We surrender only to
Allah. Therefore, we will not follow the Quran. We will only follow what Allah
inspires in us." We will then be free to follow our own fantasies to our hearts
content as certain sects do.

This is 'illogical' to say the least. The Book of GOD has been inspired through
messengers...For a person to accept the Book, he MUST accept the messenger
and vice versa. Therefore, to obey GOD, the messenger is automatically
accepted and obeyed as the words he relates from GOD are that which give him
authority to begin with!. The author tries to make the two things separate,
which they cannot be by their nature of revelation.

Some people object even to the inclusion of the second part of the Shahadah,
"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" in the first Pillar and in prayer, on the
grounds that we should associate nothing with Allah, despite the fact that both
are taught in the Quran. They want the exact words and they do exist in the
Quran - the first part of the Shahadah is found in 47:19, and the second is found
in 48:29

The problem with the Sunni Shahada is a clear issue of 'what not to say'
according to (63:1-2). Why would any person say the words that the
'hypocrites' are accused of using?. Is the love of Hadith so embedded that it
overrides all else.

Those who do not believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah cannot
possibly accept the Quran or vice versa - otherwise they are in self-
contradiction. But if they believe it then they must bear witness to the fact.
There cannot be an excuse for leaving out the second part of the Shahadah,
unless they are Jews or Christians and follow Moses or Jesus. For Muslims: -

This is a clear 'leap-of-faith' once again by the author. He is linking people who
follow the Book not reciting the Shahada of the hypocrites (63:1-2) with the
statement 'those who do not believe Mohammed is the messenger'!. As we
mentioned above, one cannot accept the Book without accepting the messenger
as well (this is basic logic). People who follow 'GOD Alone' know that
Mohammed is the messenger of GOD and accept him as such.

"The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves.." 33:6

Leaving out the second part of the Shahadah in prayer is usually justified on the
grounds that "bearing witness" requires that you must have seen something
externally through your eyes. But it can mean affirming one's faith - one bears
witness to something one has seen internally by insight. It also means that we
live by the instructions, thereby making our life into a witness. If it means
having seen something with the eyes, then we must also admit that we cannot
bear witness that "there is no god but Allah".

This argument and making a case by the author would not have been necessary
if he simply did not follow the teachings of Hadith to start with (that is where
the origins of the Sunni Shahada take place). People who follow the book do
not bear witness because GOD has said that He 'suffices' as a witness:
"We have sent you as a Messenger and GOD SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..."
Sura 4:79

Another objection sometimes raised is that we ought not to associate anything

in our prayers with Allah. Therefore, all mention of Muhammad (saw) in prayer
ought to be removed. But an examination of the wording in Islamic prayer
shows that it is not a prayer TO Muhammad but FOR Muhammad and his
people. If this were not allowed then certainly, one could not pray for oneself or
others either. Another objection arises because of some Christian arguments:-
You need to pray for Muhammad only because he is a sinner and if he is a
sinner you cannot follow him. But the answer to this is that prayer to a large
extent is done for own good. We do not praise God because He needs it. We
praise Him because it produces our own gratitude and joy and reinforces the
values that we wish to cultivate. By praying for Muhammad the Muslim aligns
himself with Muhammad and his followers. He follows Muhammad who was a
man with human limitations. A god cannot be followed and that tops efforts.

GOD tells us not to make a 'distinction' amongst His messengers (4:150), yet
the author sees no problem if he mentioned Mohammed or Abraham in the
prayers to the exclusion of all others. Our prayers are for GOD and we
reverence Him in our thoughts and actions.

Consider the following verses:-

"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love
you and forgive you your sins. Allah is forgiving, Merciful." 3:31

How else can one follow the messenger, but by accepting and following that
which he delivered (note: all the commands in the Quran have been given to
follow the 'messenger' and NEVER to follow 'the prophet or Mohammed').

"Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks
unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much." 33:21

The example of the messenger is well recorded in the Book as is the example of
Abraham.

"Whoso obeys the Messenger obeys Allah, and whoso turns away: We have not
sent thee as a warder over them." 4:80

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and render not your
actions vain." 47:33
"And they say: We believe in Allah and the messenger and we obey; then after
that a fraction of them turn away. Such are not believers. And when they appeal
unto Allah and His messenger to judge between them. lo! a faction of them are
averse. But if right had been with them they would have come unto him
willingly. Is there in their hearts a disease, or have they doubts, or fear they lest
Allah and His messenger should wrong them in judgment? Nay, but such are
evil doers. The saying of true believers when they appeal unto Allah and his
messenger to judge between them is only that they say: We hear and we obey.
And such are the successful. He who obeys Allah and His messenger, and fears
Allah, and keeps duty unto Him, such indeed are the victorious. They swear by
Allah solemnly that, if thou order them, they will go forth. Say: swear not;
known obedience is better. Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do. Say : Obey
Allah and obey the Messenger. But if ye turn away, then it is for him to do only
that wherewith he has been charged, and for you to do only that wherewith ye
have been charged. If ye obey him, ye will go right. But the messenger hath no
other charge than to convey the message plainly." 24:47-54

Again, all the commands are to 'obey the messenger' which MUST be done
before one is able to obey GOD.

Thus the Messenger has no powers of compulsion, but only to convey the
message of God. He is Allah's agent, and is obeyed as such. If he was not a
representative of Allah then we would have to reject his entire history. We
would have to suppose that the battles he was engaged in, and all the other
political and diplomatic activities he conducted by which Islam was established
had nothing to do with Allah but proceeded from his own whims.

The author tries to tie battles and political deals with the issue of salvation in
this life and knowing the path we must walk to reach GOD. If the battle the
messenger was engaged in was called battle 'x or y' and if the number of
soldiers killed were '10,000 or 50,000' will this information make one iota of
difference to those seeking guidance from the message and a way to find
GOD?. We must be clear that 'history' is an excellent way of looking at the past
and understanding the circumstances people were in, but we must NEVER
confuse 'history' with 'law' and make the two interchangeable as we see fit.

"By the star when it sets, your comrade (Muhammad) errs not, nor is
deceived, nor does he speak of his own desire. It is naught save an
inspiration that is inspired which One of mighty power has taught him."
53:1-4
Previously, the author told us how Mohamed was just a man and was 'fallible'
and that not all he spoke was 'law'. Now we are given a verse to prove entirely
the opposite (which is it?). The speech mentioned in 53:1-4 above is the
revelation or 'inspiration' which is clearly being given to him to convey.

"Establish worship and pay the poor due and obey the Messenger, that
haply you may find mercy." 24:56

"Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loves
not the disbelievers (in His guidance)." 3:32

"And obey Allah and the Messenger, that you might find mercy." 3:132

"Whoso obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will make him enter Gardens
underneath which rivers flow, where such will dwell for ever. That will be
the great success. And whoso disobeys Allah and His Messenger and
transgresses His limits, He will make him enter Fire, where such will dwell
for ever; his will be a shameful doom." 4:13-14

"Whoso obeys Allah and His Messenger, they are with those unto whom
Allah has shown favour, of the Prophets, and the saints and the martyrs
and the righteous. The best of company are they." 4:69

How could a reader of the Quran have missed the above verses that link Allah
with His messenger.

Perhaps because that reader understood that the 'messenger' is related to the
'message'. Also, it may be because the reader came across all the verses which
linked Mohammed with ruling and judging people by the Book and nothing but
the book?.

"When our verses are recited for them, those who do not expect to meet us
would say, 'Bring a Quran other than this, or change it.' Say (O Muhammad), 'I
cannot change it on my own initiative. I simply follow what is revealed to me. I
fear, if I disobey my Lord, the retribution of a terrible day.' ...Who is more
wicked than one who invents lies about God, or rejects His revelations? The
guilty never succeed. Yet, they idolize beside God those who possess no power
to harm them or benefit them, and say, 'These are our intercessors with God.'
...such is idol-worship." (10:15-18)

See also the following :- 5:92, 8:1,20,24,46, 9:71, 24:52,54, 33:33,66,71, 47:33,
48:17, 49:19, 58:13, 64:12, 69:10, 71:3, 72:23
It is also necessary to note that the Quran makes a distinction between the
Scripture and Wisdom (2:151,231,269, 3:48,79,164, 4:54,113, 5:110 etc.).
Having a Scripture is not sufficient. The ability to understand and apply it is
also essential.

More murky waters are being treaded...It seems at this stage the author has
reverted back to the need for the Hadith & Sunnah and is even implying that
this 'extra' revelation is actually justified when looking at GOD's book (this is
the same author who first had to use a Hadith to justify the existence of Hadith
as a source of law).

The 'wisdom' is merely an 'attribute' of the Book :

“These are of the Wisdom <al-Hikmati>, which your Lord has revealed to you.
Take not, with Allah, another object of Worship, lest you should be thrown into
hell, blameworthy and rejected” (17:39).

“We have made it a Qur’an in Arabic, so that you may use your senses. And
verily it is in the Mother of The Book, in Our Presence, High, Full of Wisdom”
(43:3-4)

However, it is true that the Prophet was fallible and made mistakes as the
Quran itself records in 80:1-4. But Allah Himself corrected him. The Quran
insists that Muhammad was a man and so were all other Prophets. The Prophet
made a clear distinction between that which came to him by revelation and that
which did not. His followers knew this, because he often took their advice
instead of insisting on his own ideas when they were not revelations. He was
instructed by Allah to consult others:-

Remember, a few paragraphs ago we were being led to believe that the prophet
spoke nothing but 'inspiration' and that he did not err...This position seems to
have changed once again.

"It was by the mercy of Allah that you did deal gently with them (O
Muhammad), for had you been rough and fierce of heart they would have
dispersed from around you. But pardon them, and ask forgiveness for
them, and consult with them on the conduct of affair. As when you have
resolved a matter, then put your trust in Allah; verily, Allah loves those
who trust (Him)." 3:159

There is, therefore, a distinction between the Word of God (the Quran) and the
words of the Prophet. This distinction makes Islam unique among religions. It
is, probably, the confusion between these two aspects that led Christians
theologians to think of Jesus (as) as both human and divine. Only the Quran is
to be taken as infallible. Though they are required to accept the guidance of
God, human beings must and are required to live by their own lights also. We
also use the opinions of other men, experts in various fields, as guides even
though they are fallible, because they are more likely to be true than those of
people who have no such expertise. The educational system and the progress of
humanity depends on this. The fact that the Quran is infallible does not mean
that its interpretation is infallible since this is certainly done by man. The
interpretation of the Prophet is likely to be more accurate than that of others. It
is for these reasons that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is regarded as a better
example to humanity than someone who is thought of as a god and was not
involved in human affairs - someone who was not married and did not concern
himself with the economic, political and cultural affairs of the community.

Firstly, the beliefs of Sunnis is not 'unique' amongst other religions as the Jews
have also adapted the 'Talmud' to relate the sayings and doings of their holy
prophet and respected scholars. The Talmud is used to view the 'Torah' which
is regarded as not being able to stand on its own without this 'wisdom'. It
should also be mentioned that the Jews are not mentioned favorable in the
Book of GOD for their continuos disobedience and twisting of words out of
context or hiding verses or not upholding the Torah...Thus the Sunnis should
reflect to see if such warnings are not also applicable in their situation.

Secondly, the Quran as the word of GOD is not to be compared to any human
text or books where the need for 'teachers' is used to understand information
(The Most Merciful in the teacher of the Quran).

Muslims take the Quran as the infallible word of Allah, and accept Muhammad
(saw) as a Messenger of Allah. The reason for this acceptance (if it is not
merely an un-examined assumption) is that a study of the Quran and the life of
Muhammad find some kind of harmony or compatibility with human
experiences and inherent human nature. This must certainly have been the case
with the early converts who cannot be accused of having been mentally
conditioned by their traditions. They, therefore, accept the word of Muhammad
(saw) that the Quran is a revelation from Allah, and the word of the Quran that
Muhammad is the best example. They also take the word of the Quran and
Muhammad that he was a human being who made mistakes, but being a
Prophet, was corrected by Allah and forgiven. They accept the word of the
Quran that the Quran (its teachings as originally delivered - i.e. its meaning
56:77-80) will be preserved. This promise does not cover the Hadith. The
Hadith, though they contain the sunna of the Prophet, are variable in quality,
reliability and interpretation. One must be cautious about them but there is no
need to reject them all. We know about the history of the Prophet and the
revelation of the Quran from these and some also illuminate the meaning of the
verses of the Quran.

If the author has been trying all along to link 'obey the messenger' with 'follow
the hadith & sunnah', why is he now warning us to use 'caution' in their
reliability and interpretation!. Surely an integral part of a religion would have
far more validity and a more solid foundation that all people can refer to it
without doubt saying: 'this is what GOD revealed"!.

There are many controversies about the meaning of some verses in the Quran
that can only be settled by reference to Hadith. Take as an example the case of
Quranic phrase "the Seal of the Prophets" (33:40). We have different
interpretations of it. Some say "seal" means last Prophet and no more will
come. Others say it refers to the fact that religion is complete in Islam, as when
a letter is sealed. Others say it is a "seal of approval or authority." and seal
refers to the ring used to make the seal. In this case it refers to the fact that
Muhammad (saw) confirmed the past Prophets and the religion they taught.
Notice that if we interpret the Quran by the Quran then two of the meanings
above are confirmed but the third (the Last Prophet) is neither confirmed nor
denied. So, in order to settle the dispute we do what the Quran recommends,
namely, go to Allah (in prayer or study of the Quran) and the Prophet (since he
is dead, nowadays we consult his sunna). When we do the latter we find that
several Hadith indicate that the Prophet himself was convinced that he was the
Last Prophet before the return of Jesus and that he had laid the last stone in the
House of religion. He also indicated that Islam would have inspired reformers
from time to time, rather than a series of prophets as the Jews had.

The Quran which the author at least now calls 'infallible' is totally confusing if
taken by itself and requires the support of outside sources to understand it.
What happened to 16:89 where the Quran is said to make all things 'clear'?.

Also, in the example of 'seal of the prophets' the word 'Khatam' in Arabic is
correctly meaning 'seal'. Then why does the author refuse to be satisfied with
such a clear meaning verse, and insists to force the word 'final' by referring us
to the Hadith?. Is this not an attempt to silence the Quran by forcing outside
meanings on otherwise clear words?.

Again, apart from the problem of the reliability of the Hadith, there is still some
doubt as to what exactly was meant. Was he referring to Jesus as the word and
spirit from Allah? What was meant by descent? He did seem to indicate that it
would be a man who would reform religion which would have become
corrupted, and so restore Islam. If this is so, how would muslims in so far as
they are adherents of the corrupted religion, recognize Jesus and Islam? The
new claimants to Prophethood say they are Jesus returned. This does not
contradict the Hadith.

The issue of Jesus returning is just one of the many innovations that are being
forced on Islam with total disregard to the contradictions they create. The
Quran says Jesus is dead and that no man shall live beyond his normal age
(verses?), yet with the Hadith we must override such clear words in the belief
that a man 2,000 years dead will return to save humanity from itself!.

Some people object to the Hadith on the grounds that the Quran states that it is
perfectly clear (26:2, 27:1, 28:2, 36:68, 43:2). Therefore, no other guidance is
required. But this is a naive understanding. In fact, the Quran speaks at several
levels and also in allegories. It is not clear to those who do not read it correctly,
are self-opinionated, have prejudices and a negative attitude to it rather than a
receptive one. (See 2:121, 2:146, 3:7, 17:82). We need only examine the
questions, disputes and numerous, often hostile, opinions of people who have
read the Quran on the Islamic Internet site to see that things are not as clear as
the Quran only people suppose.

Again, the words 'Quran Only' are being used to denote something that is in-
itself contradictory. Muslims take the law from GOD Alone through His words
as delivered by the messenger. Other than the 'law' & 'wisdom' people are to
live with their surroundings and not to be trapped in the context of a book.

"Now has come unto you light from Allah and a plain scripture whereby
Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He
brings them out of darkness into light by His decree, and guides them unto
a straight path." 5:15-16 Also 3:103

"And We have revealed the Book to you which has the clear explanation of
everything, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who
submit." 16:89 and 6:115

Why would people still resist?.

It makes things plain only for those who believe and ponder, those whom Allah
guides and those whose ears and eyes and hearts have not been dulled.
Sometimes the following verses are quoted to show that the Quran contains
everything: -
"And perfected are the words of your Sustainer with truth and justice;
there is none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the
Knowing." (6:115)

".. nothing have we omitted from the Book." (6:38).

This refers to the Book in heaven.

Yes, it is agreed that 6:38 refers to a Book in heaven, but the author seems to
have overlooked the following verses also:

"Shall I seek other than GOD as a judge, when He revealed THIS BOOK
FULLY DETAILED? (6:114)

"And were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea (to
supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words of Allah
would not come to an end; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise." (31:27)

This refers to Allah's knowledge. If the Quran contained everything then the
Prophet would also have had all knowledge. But this is denied in the Quran
(6:50).

Perhaps the author is having a problem finding 'everything' when all he needs
to be looking for is the 'law'?.

"He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein
are clear revelations - they are the substance of the Book - the others are
allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which
is allegorical seeking to cause dissension by seeking to explain it. None
knoweth its explanation save Allah and those who are of sound instruction.
Say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of
understanding really heed." 3:7

Does this sound as if everything in the Quran is clear to everyone?

It sounds to me as if the essence of the Book (the law) is as clear as day, while
the similar verses (obey Allah & obey the messenger) are designed to cause
confusion amongst those who did not truly believe.

"And when thou recitest the Quran We place between thee and those who
believe not in the Hereafter a hidden barrier, and We place upon their
hearts veils lest they should understand it and in their ears a deafness, and
when thou makest mention of thy lord alone in the Quran, they turn their
backs in aversion. We are best aware of what they wish to hear when they
give ear to thee and when they take secret counsel, when the evil doers say:
Ye follow but a man bewitched. See what similitudes they coin for thee,
and thus are all astray, and cannot find a road." 17:45-48

"And verily We have displayed for mankind in this Quran all kinds of
similitudes, but most of mankind refuse aught save disbelief." 17:89

"Those unto whom We have given the Scripture, WHO READ IT WITH
A RIGHT READING, those believe in it." 2:121

"Will they then not meditate on the Quran, or are there locks on their
hearts?" 47:24

"And when We read it, follow thou the reading; then lo! Upon us rests the
explanation thereof." 75:18-19

It is ironic that we find 75:18-19 here in this paper (where GOD says He will
explain the revelation) yet all the time we are being pushed into believing that
the messenger has this exclusivity!.

There are many verses which tell us that Allah guides not miscreants e.g.
2:26,258, 5:51 etc.

"And We reveal in the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for
believers though it increases evil doers in naught but ruin." 17:82

"But it (the Quran) is clear revelation in the hearts of those who have
knowledge." 29:49

'Clear Revelation'...Remember above where the author could not find any
verses to say the Book was clear?. Looks like he managed after all.

It is clear not to the ignorant but those who have knowledge and a receptive
heart. This, of course, also applies to the understanding of the verses that
mention the prophet (saw).

Some "Quran only" people tell us that because 4:150 tells us not to make a
difference between the prophets, therefore, we must not give our allegiance
only to Muhammad (saw). This would be Muhammad worship. The fact,
however, is that there is a difference between Prophets. All prophets are not
equal.

"Of these Messengers, We preferred some above others. Of them are some
to whom Allah spake; and We have exalted some of them by degrees; "
2:253 Also 17:55

Prophets are only different as far as GOD is concerned...We are commanded

not to make any distinction amongst them, which means we do not say one is
better that the others, nor that one has been inspired more, or less, or granted
more or less...We give allegiance to GOD (that is why we are here) and not to
men or angels.

Muslims were asked to swear allegiance to Muhammad - swearing allegiance

to him is swearing allegiance to God and the Quran, and to the other Prophets
sent by God. (48:10,18 and 3:81). Muhammad (pbuh) was a universal or world
prophet (4:79, 7:158, 34:28).

The verses the author refers to speaks of 'treaties' being made with the
messenger and the consequences of breaking such agreements...If people
believe that the Messenger had 'absolute' authority as an individual (and not
through following GOD's words), then perhaps the following verse will shed
some light:

"O you prophet, when the believing women (who abandoned the disbelievers)
to seek asylum with you pledge to you that they will not set up any idols beside
GOD, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor fabricate any
falsehood, nor disobey you in issues of righteousness, you shall accept their
pledge, and pray to GOD to forgive them. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful."
(60:12)

We are not only told that we should not make a difference between the
Prophets (since all are sent by God) but also not between the Prophets and
Allah (4:150-151). Obeying the Messenger is obeying God (4:80). Thus the
argument that we must obey only the Quran and not the Prophet cannot be
upheld. If you obey the Quran then you must obey the Prophet.

Bravo!. The concept of obeying the messenger means obeying GOD has been
understood.

The only point of argument among Muslims is whether and which Hadith are
genuine and what they mean and to whom they apply. Some Hadith appear to
tell us that the Prophet objected to the writing down of his sayings and doings.
He wished to differentiate between the inspired words (Quran) and his own
opinions (hadith) or perhaps between what was universal and what was only
specific to the situation he was in. We do not know exactly what he meant. It
could have applied to a particular person or episode. It could have been an
advice or order or exception. It is remarkable that the ban on writing should
have been written down instead of all the other hadith being erased. Other
Hadith imply that he had given additional instructions or explanations that were
also to be obeyed and written down. Once the revelation of the Quran was over
there was no danger of confusing the Hadith with the Quran. He also said :-

This 'argument' the author speaks of is only found with the Sunnis or Shia.
Muslims submit to GOD Alone and therefore do not have these issues as their
source is One GOD, One Word.

"Be on your guard about tradition from me except what you know; for he
who lies about me deliberately will certainly come to his abode in hell."

"I have indeed brought the Quran and something like it along with it, yet
the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will say: keep to this
Quran; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what
you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited. But what God's
messenger has prohibited is like what God has prohibited."

I find the above 'hadith' to be very appropriate in dealing with this issue: 'look,
we found a hadith saying that a people will come who will argue with you like
this, just ignore them because the hadith has told us so!'. It's a shame they did
not believe the verses where the prophet say's he cannot know the future!.

There are also apparent contradictions between Hadith which forbid innovation
in religion and those which approve of good ones. This is mentioned here
because it is the Traditionalists who both base themselves on Hadith and reject
all innovation, while Modernists wish to reject hadith and introduce
innovations.

"To proceed: the best discourse is Allah's Book, the best guidance is that
given by Muhammad, and worst things are those which are novelties.
Every innovation is error."

"If anyone establishes a good sunna in Islam he will have a reward for it
and the equivalent of the reward of those who act upon it after him
without theirs diminishing in any respect. But he who establishes a bad
sunna in Islam will bear the responsibility of it and the responsibility of
those who act upon it after him without theirs being diminished in any
respect."

Some people quote those Quranic verses which contain the word "hadith" e.g.
7:185, 31:6, 39:23, 45:6, 52:34, 68:44, 77:50 or "sunna" e.g. 8:38, 15:13, 17:77,
18:55, 33:38, 33:62, 35:43, 40:85, 48:23. These, some people suppose, confirm
that only the Quran is the correct hadith and Sunna and that none other should
be accepted. This cannot, however, refer to the Sunna of those who follow the
Quran, like Muhammad (saw). The words "sunna" and "hadith" have a general
meaning. And if they are used to refer to the Quran then it does not follow that
they cannot be used to refer to some other thing. If we use the word "chair" to
refer to one object, this does not exclude another. It is also necessary to
reconcile the verses with the other verses in the Quran quoted above. It is an
integral part of sectarianism, indeed, its foundation, to select some verses and
ignore others or to distort the meaning of words in order to support their own
doctrines. Each sect makes a different selection.

Agreed. The verses mentioned previously are enough to make a case against
Sunna & Hadith.

In any case it is illogical to try to prove something from the Hadith if you reject
them because you would have to say that at least that hadith was true and that
others might be also. It is illogical also to deny the Prophet and yet believe in
Allah and the Quran. "Quran only" is an assumption which some people make
first, and then wish to prove by selecting verses and interpreting them in certain
ways.

No such thing as 'Quran Only'. Also, the author again makes the mistake of
separating belief in the messenger with belief in the Quran (that is a physical
impossibility).

But note the following Hadith:-

"In the times in which you are living anyone who abandons a tenth of what
he is commanded will perish; but a time is coming when anyone who does
a tenth of what he is commanded will be safe."

Obviously, not too much deviation can be allowed in the beginning of a

movement otherwise as time passes the divergence like the arms of an angle
become too great. Also, hopefully once the educational foundations are
established greater flexibility becomes possible. It seems that the change in
times was foreseen.

We hope that our comments on this paper have helped you understand the
battles going on for the purification of 'Islam' being back to GOD Alone.

One final reminder as to what the messenger preached with :

"Say (O Muhammad), 'Whose testimony is greater?' Say, 'God is the witness

between me and you that THIS QURAN was given to me to preach it to you,
and to whomever it reaches.' However, you certainly bear witness that you set
up other gods beside. Say, 'I will never do what you are doing; I disown your
idol-worship.'" (6:19)
‘OBSCURE INITIALS’, ‘HOLY LANGUAGE’, AND ‘MUSLIM NAMES’
By Neil Maybanks (e-mail: neil_maybanks@yahoo.com.au)

Ha Mim. Ain Sin Qaf. Thus/in that manner (KADHALIKA) inspiring you and those before you is
God, the Honourable, the Wise Judge [42:1-3].

Alif Lam Mim. Thus/that is (DHALIKA) the Book. There is no doubt in it (the book) [2:1-2].

The above verses gives us much information about the purpose and meaning of the initials of
the Recitation. When we think about what the initials actually are, which the verses inspire us
to do, then we can identify the manner that God inspires. Initials are letters which are the
basic building blocks of both the phonetic (qur’aan;recitation) and the written (kitab; book).
Letters make up words. Words make up phrases. Phrases make up sentences. Ultimately all of
these add up to being the elements of language. Here the emphasis is upon human languages
generally and not specifically the Arabic language in particular. That is because every person
before Muhammad wasn’t inspired by the Arabic language.

And we didn’t send a messenger except in the tongue/language (lisaan) of his people, in order
that he make things clear for them.. [14:4].

For every community there is a messenger..[10:47].

..We are not punishers until we have sent a messenger [17:15].

So for all the communities throughout history there has been a messenger making things clear
for them in their own language before the punishment is brought to them.

God doesn’t create new languages which only the elect few can understand. God inspires
people through pre-existing human languages which the common people who use it can
understand.

And if we made it a non-Arabic recitation they would have said, Why aren’t it’s verses detailed
in non-Arabic and Arabic?..[41:44]

Thus no matter the choice of messenger and thus language (lisaan) of the message there will
always be an entire other group complaining that the recitation wasn’t sent down in their
language also. The point is that it had to be in at least one human language and the same
problem would arise no matter which one was chosen.

..Say, For those who believe it is a guidance and a healing, and those who don’t believe, in
their ears is deafness, and they are blind to it, being invited from a far-away place [41:44].

From this part of the verse we can understand that familiarity with the language of the
message is of no use to those who don’t believe. To the disbelievers it will appear a foreign
thing from a far-away place like a different language.

No language is any holier than another.

And among his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the variations in your
languages and colours. Certainly, in that there are signs for the knowledgeable. [30:22]

All of the languages of mankind are among the signs of God.

Mankind was one community.. [2:213],

and thus had one language. All languages can be traced back to the comprehensive (kullahaa)
prototype language of descriptions/names (al-asmaa’a) taught to Adam by God.

And He taught Adam the names, all of them..[2:31].

By means of being the Teacher of language to humans He is thus also, the Teacher of the
recitation [55:3].

He taught him explanation /elucidation /clearness (al-bayaana) [55:4].

A general characteristic of all languages is making things clear.

God is ..The One who teaches with the pen. He teaches the human what he didn’t know [96:4-
5].

This is talking about the use of pen in general terms throughout all humanity. The use of the
pen in language, writing descriptions (al-asmaa’a), teaches the human what he didn’t know.
In [8:31] Adam was taught the names while the angels hadn’t yet been taught them and were
asked by God to communicate to Him (anbi’uwnee) the names.

They said, Glory be to you, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us..[2:32].

Adam, the human, taught by God by means of the pen (written language) what he didn’t
know, was now asked by God to communicate to the angels (anbi’hum) the names (al-
asmaa’a) that they didn’t have knowledge of. Thus, through the use of the pen Adam
communicated the meaning of the names to the angels.

The initials represent human language in general. In that manner (of human languages)
inspiring you and those before you is God, the Honourable the Wise. [42:3]. This realization
should bring to our attention the fact that human languages are just the tools that God uses to
make the inspiration ‘digestable’ to us. The letters and language are not the totality of book
itself but are merely a representation of it.

Alif Lam Ra. These (initials) are signs/tokens/representations/manifestations (ayaatu) of the

book of wise judgement. [10:1]
The initials are ayats of the book of wise judgement. Everything comes down to how we
understand ‘ayaat.’ An ayaat is not the thing itself but it is something which points to
something else beyond itself. Like how the sun is sign of God but it isn’t God Himself. The
initials, manifested in phonetic and written language,

Ta Seen. These are signs of the the recitation and the clear book [27:1],

are not the book itself but are token representations of it which we humans can digest. Thus
we can understand that there is a greater book/recitation which is beyond the confines of
human language.

Ha Mim. The clear book, certainly we have made it an Arabic recitation, in order that you may
comprehend. And certainly it (the clear book) is according to (fee) the mother/source/origin
(ummi) of the book, near us, exalted and wise. [43:1-4]

The mother/source of the book (ummi al-kitab) is the ‘greater book’ which itself is beyond the
total representation of human language. The mother of the book provides the contents of the
message while the form of the message changes according to the audience. The book was
only put into the human language of Arabic so that we may comprehend it. The origin of the
book is not in any human language.

That letters are just signs should draw our attention to another aspect of language. The
connections between the sound of a letter and it’s written form, the sounds produced to
indicate a certain thing and the thing itself are totally arbitrary representations. There is no
traceable line of logic that the sound for book must be either ‘book’ or ‘kitab’ or that any
sound made in any other language is more like the ‘real’ sound of book. The same goes for the
many different written expressions of different sounds in the world. All languages are just
representations and we should not let ourselves be blinded to the forest by the trees.

..And He didn’t make your adopted sons or your physical offspring. That is your speech with
your mouths, and God speaks the truth and He guides to the path. Call them (the adopted
sons) according to their fathers (names). It is more just according to God. Then if you don’t
know who their fathers are then they are your brothers in religion and your dependants. There
is no sin upon you in that which you did in error concerning it except what your hearts
intended. God is a Forgiver, Merciful [33:4-5].

Considering the above verse and the points previously raised in this article it should be clear
that the ‘Muslim names’ concept has no support in the Recitation. In the above verse we are
ordered to call adopted sons according to the names of their fathers (not according to the
Muslim names theory). This verse emphasizes the importance of maintaining the names of
forefathers, ‘it is more just according to God.’ Every child grows up to want to find out about
their physical origins. Whether test tube baby, orphan, dispossessed or any other person, each
of us has a yearning to have knowledge about our heritage. Great injustices have occurred
throughout history where whole peoples have been dispossessed from their ancestoral names.
eg. African slaves, Australian Aborigines, Kurds, ‘Russified’ peoples of former Soviet Union,
and the list goes on. According to the Recitation anyone dispossessed from their ancestoral
name should research as far back as possible in history and reclaim it. Cassius Clay
(Muhammad Ali) should have changed his name to an African name instead of an Arabic one
to which he is not related. The promotion of Muslim names is all about trying to turn
Submission (al-Islaam) into Arabism. It is a repugnant practice of Arabic cultural imperialism
which is rejected by Muslim Turks, Persians, and Indonesians who aren’t asked about their
Muslim identity when turning up to the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Submission is a universal
principle not bound to any specific people, time, or place.

..And blood relations are closer to each other in the decree of God than the believers and the
emigrants, except that you treat your allies with kindness. That is in the inscribed decree
[33:6].
This is a further clarification of what was said above. Maintaining the ancestoral name from
blood relations doesn’t disallow the treating of allies with kindness.

And those who believe in God and His messengers and don’t make a distinction between any
one of them..[4:152].

The Muslim names theory is another manifestation of making distinctions between the
messengers. Why does Muhammad get singled out above the non-Arab prophets and
messengers? To not make a distinction between the messengers we should be adopting names
from all of the languages that messengers have used throughout history. For every community
there is a messenger..[10:47]. Messengers we have told you about before, and messengers
we have not told you about [4:164].

And when his Lord said to him, Submit! He said, I submit to the Lord of the worlds [2:131].

THE SHAHADA

The prophet Abraham who, although not a Jew or a Christian, was such an excellent example
that God commanded his Messenger Muhammad to follow him. And Mohammed responded by
saying:

" I have submitted my wholeself to God and so have those who follow me..."

Why then have millions of people been entrapped into following the teachings of Abu Hurairah
a mysterious person from the shadows of Hadith literature? Could it be that they have rejected
the teaching of Quran while believing they have not done so? God says:

" Have you noted those who only know part of the scripture, and when invited to adopt God's
law, they turn away in aversion?.... That is because they are deceived in their faith by their
own inventions." (Quran: 3:23-24)

The Shahadah

To profess their faith in Islam the Sunnis make this declaration: "I bear witness that there is
no god except God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. " (Arabic
transliteration: "Ash hadu anlaa ilaaha illallaahu wa ash hadu anna muhammadar-rasulallah").
This testimony is called the Shahadah and according to Sunni belief it must be recited by
every Muslim as an attestation of their allegiance to Islam. Consequently any person who does
not 'bear witness' is not accepted as a Muslim by them.

However this testimony is not sanctioned by the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad,
which are found in the Quran, the veritable word of God.

Many people may feel astounded at this statement especially as the Shahadah is considered to
be the foundation of Sunni faith. This is why it is important to take a careful and critical look
before reaching any impulsive conclusions.

For the Sunni, the purpose of the Shahadah is many folds. For example without reciting the
Shahadah, the Sunnis consider their salat prayer to be nullified. Also before a newcomer is
accepted into the Sunni religion, a public declaration by reciting the Shahadah in front of
witnesses must be made. In some countries converts are given a "certificate" after reciting the
Shahadah to confirm they have been "admitted" into the Islamic fold. However, it is not
known if such "certificates" are also a complimentary pass into heaven!
To associate anything or anyone with God is known as 'shirk', the highest degree of
blasphemy, which God does not forgive. This is made clear in chapter 4 verse 48. The Quran
also stipulates that Muslims must profess faith in the One God and not call on anyone else.
The Shahadah, therefore, cannot be the correct way to affirm faith as the name of the prophet
Muhammad, besides God, is included in this attestation and also used in the salat prayers.

People blindly following their religion are the root of wrong beliefs. This acceptance of the
Shahadah is no different. If only people read and understand the Quran then they would
realize that God revealed the following verse to the Messenger which is just as applicable to us
today as it was to him:

"Do not accept anything that you yourself cannot verify. Surely your hearing, your eyesight
and your mind will be questioned" Sura 17:36.

God wants us to substantiate our beliefs and we should follow His advice.

Abu Hurairah

The Shahadah testimony that is recited by the Sunnis originates from Abu Hurairah and is
recorded in the 'hadith' - the oral traditions attributed to the prophet Muhammad. The hadith
given below is from "Mishkat-ul-Masabih", translation by Maulana Fazlul Karim, Volume 1,
Chapter 1, no.27. (Published by the Book House, Lahore, Pakistan). As there are a many
versions of this hadith, the collections of Tirmidzi should also be read.

The hadith regarding the Shahadah says:

One day Abu Hurairah went to the people and told them that the Messenger had authorised
him to go and tell them to recite the Shahadah "ash hadu anlaa ilaha illallhu wa ash hadu
anna muhammadar-rasulullah". Another version reads " muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu".
The first person Abu Hurairah came across to give the Shahadah was Saidina Omar (later the
second caliph). When Omar heard it he promptly punched Abu Hurairah in the chest and
knocked him to the ground. Then Omar put his foot on Abu Hurairah's neck and asked him
how dare he utter such a blasphemy.

Abu Hurairah (who is recorded in the hadith as having received quite u few beatings from
Saidina Omar during his lifetime) then cried out and named the Messenger as his authority.
When again challenged by Saidina Omar, Abu Hurairah pulled out a pair of leather slippers and
showed them to Omar. The slippers, he said, were given to him by the Prophet, as proof for
what he was saying. Recognising the prophet's slippers, Omar simmered down. Everyone then
happily started reciting the shahadah. This most incredible story is the background to the
Shahadah of Abu Hurairah, which has been adopted by millions of Sunnis.

In the Quran God says,

"The believers are kind to each other and firm with the disbelievers..." Sura 5:54.

Hence the 'hadith' books are full of stories of how great friends the companions of the prophet
(known as 'Sahaba') were and the love and kindness they showed towards each other.

Fourteen centuries down the road today the Tabligh people (sunni missionaries) always greet
each other with hugs and kisses, supposedly to emulate the brotherly Sahaba. But in this
particular 'hadith', we have one Sahaba knocking another down to the ground for bringing
along something as important as the Shahadah!
In another account of this same episode, Omar is reported as challenging the Messenger if he
did indeed send Abu Hurairah with his slippers to recite the Shahadah. When the Messenger
said yes, Omar disagreed with him and said the Shahadah will make people "lazy"! Whatever
the logic of this hadith can be left for the hadith advocates to explain. Yet again the narrator of
this fabrication is Abu Hurairah.

About the believers and the companions of the prophet, and Omar was one of them, the
Quran says;

" The only thing the believers utter when invited to heed God and His messenger and uphold
His law is 'we hear and we obey". These are the winners". Sura 24:51

Abu Hurairah's ridiculous fable not only contradicts the above verse but also contradicts Sura
6:51 where God tells the Messenger (and by implication the companions and whomever the
Quran reaches):

"You shall preach WITH THE Quran to those who reverence the gathering before their Lord..."

Instead Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet handed over his pair of slippers to him and told
him to preach with the slippers in hand as proof of authenticity. By his confession Abu
Hurairah was beaten by Omar, who argued with the Prophet and said that the Shahadah was
unwise. Does the basis of a Muslim's faith rest on such an absurd tale? Surely this cannot be
part of Islam, which is based on reason and logic?

No one seems to know the correct identity of this Abu Hurairah even today scholars cannot
agree on his real name. Despite there being a hadith (also attributed to Abu Hurairah) that we
should not call people by nicknames, Abu Hurairah is itself a nickname which means "the
Father of Cats". So the originator of the Sunni Shahadah was an unknown man who was
attacked unceremoniously by another companion of the Messenger! It is now apparent that
there is significant evidence to show that the Shahadah testimony of the Sunni people has a
very dubious background based on ludicrous hadith falsely attributed to the prophet
Muhammad whom they claim to love!

How then does Abu Hurairah's Shahadah contradict the Prophet's true teachings? The Quran
was revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad who then passed on this message, first to the
companions and then to the rest of the people. Besides being God's own revelation, the Quran
represents what was actually said by the prophet Muhammad. Anyone who rejects this simple
fact cannot at all claim to be a Muslim.

So what did God commanded the Messenger to tell us? "The mosques belong to God, do not
call on anyone else besides God" Sura 72:18.

However, in the Shahadah of Abu Hurairah, the Sunnis call on the Messenger as well as God.
The Sunni scholars will argue that the mention of the Messenger's name is only out of respect.
But then in the same breath, they will insist that the salat prayer to God Almighty is nullified if
the prophet Muhammad's name is not mentioned in the Shahadah during the salat prayer.
This is tantamount to idolatry as associating another person with God is committing 'shirk' the
unforgivable offence.

God Alone

The human has a major weakness. He finds it difficult to believe in an unseen God. Even the
Prophet Moses had this problem.
"When Moses came to our audience, and His Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord let me look
and see you". He said, "You cannot see Me..." Sura, 7:143.

The human looks for something tangible, hence the Christians first elevated Jesus to a Son of
God and then to the status of God Himself. The Hindus worship humans like Rama and Krishna
who they say are gods. The Sunnis have similarly idolized the Prophet Muhammad and have
given him a divine status by adding his name to the Shahadah testament and appropriately
the Sunnis can be called "Mohammedan".

To remind them of this folly will only raise their anger. Perhaps they do not know that it is the
Prophet Muhammad himself who taught the following:

"When God alone is advocated, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter shrink
with aversion. But when OTHERS are mentioned besides Him, they rejoice" Sura 39:45.

Note how angry the Mohammedan become when you mention God alone. Their anger subsides
only when you agree to add "Muhammad" as the second half of Abu Hurairah's Shahadah
which reads ". And I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God" (Arabic
transliteration: wa ash hadu anna muhammadar rasulullah).

God revealed to the Messenger that this is actually the Shahadah of the hypocrites (Arabic:
Munafiq).

"Among the Arabs around you there are hypocrites, and among the city dwellers as well. They
persist in hypocrisy and while you (Muhammad) may not know them, me know them. We will
double the punishment for them, then they will be returned for a terrible retribution" Sura
9:101.

Here God is telling the Messenger that hypocrites surround him and that he does not know
who they are. Only God knows the hypocrites. But God promises

"... He will most certainly expose the hypocrites" Sura 29:11.

And the hypocrites are worried about this too:

"The hypocrites are afraid lest a verse may expose what they hide in their hearts. Say, "Keep
on scoffing. God will surely expose what you fear" Sura 9:64.

Hypocrites Exposed

God also says that the hypocrites can be recognized by way they engage in vain talk.

"If we will we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize them just by looking at
them. However you can recognize them from what they say. God is fully aware of all your
works". Sura, 47:30.

Hence God promises to expose the hypocrites. One such method is recorded in the Quran in
Sura 63:1.

"When the hypocrites come to you and say: "WE BEAR WITNESS THAT YOU ARE THE
MESSENGER OF GOD. God indeed knows that you are His Messenger. God bears witness that
the hypocrites are liars".
The important thing to note in this verse is that the emphasized words form the second part of
Abu Hurairah's Shahadah, which is now recited by all Mohammedan. This as we see from the
verse 63.1 is actually the Shahadah of the hypocrites! What the hypocrites say is vain talk
because God indeed knows that Muhammad is His Messenger (63:1). God does not need any
one to affirm back to Him what He already knows about His own Messenger.

The Quran says;

"We have sent you as a Messenger and GOD SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..." Sura 4:79

and this is exactly what the Messenger told his companions. There is no need to bear witness
on him because God has already done so and that is enough.

"God bears witness concerning what He has revealed to you. He has revealed it with His
knowledge. And the angels bear witness as well, BUT GOD IS ENOUGH AS A WITNESS" Sura
4:166.

Again this is what the Messenger told the companions. God is enough as a witness. God also
discourages attempts at witnessing other Messengers:

"You were not on the slope of the western Mount when we gave Moses the commandments.
YOU WERE NOT A WITNESS" Sura 28:44.

So people cannot "witness" the messengership of the Messengers.

To reiterate, God says He will certainly expose the hypocrites (sura 29:11). God says the
Messenger can recognize them from what they say (sura 47:30). So when the hypocrites
come and insist that they want to bear witness on the Messenger, they expose themselves as
hypocrites. And Abu Hurairah (if he really existed) has fooled millions of Muslims into reciting
the same thing everyday of their lives.

The first part of Abu Hurairah's Shahadah is "I bear witness that there is no god except God".
(Arabic transliteration: "ash hadu anlaa ilaaha illallah).

The Quran says:

"God bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those endowed
with knowledge, in truth and justice. There is no god except He, the mighty, the wise" Sura
3:18.

God is enough as a Witness

Again God says that His own witness is enough:

"Say, Whose testimony is the greatest'' Say, "God's (testimony is the greatest). HE IS THE
WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND YOU that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach it to you
and whomever it reaches.." Sura, 6:19.

Because

"... God suffices as a witness..." Sura 4:79 and 4:166.,

the Shahadah as proclaimed by Abu Hurairah is therefore a lie – a fabrication by whoever
wrote the 'hadith'. If we do not even have his true identity, how do we know if Abu Hurairah
existed at all?

Despite the evidence of the Quran, which no Muslim will deny is the truest teaching of the
Messenger, the hypocrites insist on bearing witness to Muhammad's Messengership. They
insist on bearing witness when God says He needs no other witness apart from Himself.

Most importantly, the Shahadah of Abu Hurairah, by its purpose, goes against Sura 72:18 and
Sura 39:45 in that it associates the Messenger's name with God. Without bearing witness on
the Messenger, the Sunnis say that the salat prayer and faith are void. Even though by
evidence from the Quran this is shown to be "shirk" of the highest order. Each time people say
the Sunni Shahadah they are committing "shirk", the unpardonable blasphemy for which they
may burn in hell.

The True Declaration

What then is the real attestation, which Muslims can recite to affirm their faith? Perhaps when
the companions asked the Messenger this question, he would have replied:

"The word of your Lord is complete, in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words. He
is the hearer, the knower". Sura 6:114

Therefore the answer is definitely in the Quran and to show the correct attestation of faith, the
Prophet Abraham is an excellent example.

"Whose religion is better than one who SUBMITS himself to God, works righteousness and
follows the faith Of Abraham the monotheist? God has chosen Abraham as a beloved friend".
Sura, 4:125.

Remember that this verse was revealed to the Messenger and this is what the Messenger then
imparted to his companions and all the people through the Quran. Therefore we too must
follow the faith Of Abraham.

"Thus who would then forsake the faith of Abraham, except those who fool themselves? We
have chosen him in this life, and in the hereafter he will be with the righteous" Sura 2:130.

Only fools will forsake the faith Of Abraham. Therefore unless people want to be considered as
fools, it would be better to do what Abraham did. And what did Abraham do?

The next verse tells us:

"When his Lord said to him "SUBMIT" he said, "I SUBMIT TO THE LORD OF THE WORLDS"
(Arabic: Aslamtu Li Rabbil Aalameen) Sura 2:131.

So here we have it. When God showed Abraham the perfect religion, He commanded Abraham
to Submit ("Aslimu") and Abraham said "Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen". This is how MUSLIMS
should attest their faith.

Now it is clear that Muslims cannot attest their faith by witnessing a Messenger or God,
especially as they cannot be seen. Witnessing on Muhammad's messengership is just the
idolization of one prophet. Giving distinction to one messenger above another is strictly
forbidden in the Quran as mentioned in verses 2.285 and 4.150-152.
The story of Abraham continues in the next verse:

"The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons and also Jacob, "O My sons, God has chosen for
you the true faith, therefore DIE NOT SAVE AS MEN WHO HAVE SUBMITTED". Sura 2:132

Abraham enjoined his sons to believe in the same things he did. He also successfully enjoined
his people to say the same thing "Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen" which means "I submit myself
to the Lord of the Worlds". This is revealed in the next verse:

"Or were you present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons, 'What will you
worship after me?" They said, 'We shall worship thy God, the God of thy fathers Abraham,
Ishmael, and Isaac, One God, and UNTO HIM WE HAVE SUBMITTED" Sura 2:133.

This is the truth about how Abraham submitted himself to God, as it was revealed to the
Messenger through the Quran. And the Messenger is commanded to follow Abraham:

"And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be rightly guided. "Say; "No, We follow
the faith of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters". Sura 2:135

"Say, 'We believe in God and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto
Abraham..." Sura, 2:136.

And the message that was revealed to Abraham is disclosed once more to us in the Quran and
preserved carefully for posterity. As for those who reject these truths, God says,

"Or do you say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes were Jews or Christians?
Say "Do you know best or does God? And who is more unjust than he who conceals a
testimony he has received from God. God is not unaware of what you do" Sura 2:140.

So why do people hide this testimony? Abraham declared "Aslamtu li rabbil aalameen" (I
submit myself to the Lord of the worlds) and he enjoined this upon his sons and upon Jacob.

The Prophet Muhammad and the companions have been given the same testimony. So why do
they hide this testimony and replace it with a Shahadah of the hypocrites?

There is no doubt that the prophet Muhammad followed the faith of Abraham.

"And we inspired you (Muhammad) to FOLLOW THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM, he who was
naturally upright, he was never an idolater" Sura 16:123.

The Prophet did exactly as God commanded him. If anyone wants to become a Muslim should
they then not follow the prophet Muhammad's example that affirmed his faith in the same way
as Abraham?

"Those among mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him, and
this prophet, and those who believe, and God is the protecting friend of the believers". Sura,
3:68.

Say, (Muhammad) "I am forbidden to worship those whom you call besides God, since there
has come to me clear proofs from God, and I AM COMMANDED TO SUBMIT TO THE LORD OF
THE WORLDS (wa umirtu un aslima li rabbil aalameen) Sura 40:66.

But what if the people like the hypocrites come and insist that they want to bear witness on
the Messenger and bear witness on God? What do you tell them?
The answer, as always, is in the Quran:

"And if they argue with you (Muhammad) say: "I HAVE SUBMITTED MY WHOLE SELF TO GOD
(aslamtu waj hiyu lillah) and so have those who follow me..." Sura 3:20.

The Messenger and his companions simply submitted themselves to God:

"Say "Shall we call those things besides God, which can neither harm us nor benefit us, and
shall we turn back after God has guided us - like one possessed by the devils, who has
companions (sahaba!) Who invite him, saying "Come to us?" Say, 'The guidance of God is
indeed true guidance and WE ARE COMMANDED TO SUBMIT TO THE LORD OF THE WORLDS
(wa umirna li nuslimn li rabbil aalameen)" Sura 6:71

The Messenger and his companions simply submitted to the Lord of the worlds. If Abu
Hurairah, or any other person, comes and asks a Muslim to join him in bearing witness over
God and His Messenger, the answer must be to say "No!" We are commanded To SUBMIT To
the Lord of the Worlds (aslamtu li rabbil aalameen).

The Quran also gives an incident of the prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba as another
example of submission to God. It records the moment when the Queen reverts to Islam. She
was an idolater and Solomon had invited her to Islam. To prove the greatness of God,
Solomom used powers given to him to move the Queen of Sheba's magnificent palace intact,
from one place to another in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, she realized God's power, immediately repented and said,

"Rabbi inn salamtu nafsin, wa aslamtu ma'a Sulaimaana, lillaahi rabbiul aalameen" which
means, "... Oh my Lord, indeed I have wronged my soul. I SUBMIT MYSELF ALONG WITH
SOLOMON, TO GOD THE LORD OF THE WORLDS" Sura, 27:44.

Therefore it is now apparent that the mysterious Abu Hurairah has indeed made many people
wrong their souls. Each time you try to bear witness on the Messenger and God, not only do
you wrong your souls but also you make fools of yourselves because you forsake the faith of
Abraham (Sura 2:130).

To affirm their faith Muslims should use the examples given in the Quran. What they should
say is "I SUBMIT MYSELF TO THE LORD OF THE WORLDS". (Arabic: Aslamtu li rabbil
aalameen). Others who have affirmed their faith in this way are the Prophets Abraham, Isaac,
Ishmael, Jacob, Solomon and of course the Prophet Muhammad (Sura 40:66). Also the Queen
of Sheba and the companions of the Prophet did the same. If you adopt their way, you will be
in good company.

As for those who insist on following the deceitful Abu Hurairah into the hellfire, God says,

'who does more wrong than one whom invents a lie against God? They will be returned to the
presence of their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "THESE ARE THE ONES WHO LIED AGAINST
THEIR LORD, Behold, the curse of God is on those who do wrong. THOSE WHO HINDER MEN
FROM THE PATH OF GOD AND WOULD SEEK IN IT SOMETHING CROOKED, these were they
who denied the hereafter". Sura 11:18-19.

"We have sent you as a Messenger And God suffices as a witness..." (Quran Sura 4:79.) "
When his Lord said to him "Submit" he said " I submit to the Lord of the Worlds" (Quran Sura
2:131)