Post by iris89 on Mar 20, 2009 11:56:45 GMT -5
Now let's get down to reality On The Bible, The Quran – Without Word Games:
FIRST, There exist NO original copies of the Bible, NOR of the Bible takeoff, the Qur'an.
SECOND, Today there exist over 30,000 fragments, Codex's, scrolls, manuscripts of the Bible, one of the most famous of course is the Dead Sea Scrolls and this has been rigorously compared to modern Bible translations/versions and NO substantial variations with the modern exist. Whereas, there are NO ancient fragments, Codex's, manuscripts, scrolls, etc. of the Qur'an before it was trashed by the third Caliph, Caliph Uthman. So although the present modern translations/versions can be checked for accuracy against many ancient documents; this is absolutely impossible with respect the Qur'an. Therefore, there is NO way of checking the accuracy of any translation/version of the Qur'an against any ancient copy before Caliph Uthman - thus accuracy is completely unknown.
THIRD, The only possible way of checking the accuracy of the current Qur'an against the original would be to check it against the the inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, of the translation/version used by the so called Prophet Muhamad to write the Qur'an, and these still do exist.
So as can readily be seen, when a member of Islam says,
"what you are talking about these are translation of quran and there is not difference in original text."
They are NOT talking with honesty as has been clearly shown. Reality, they, Islam, do NOT have an original text so they have NO way of knowing this. Also, as previously shown, they have no ancient manuscripts or documents earlier than the third Caliph, Caliph Uthman, in the late 7 th. Century.
FOURTH, With respect to the 'play on words' it is quite clear that many in Islam do NOT really understand the significance of the word 'sect.' Now let's look at the meaning of this word instead of getting caught up into words.
SECT
[1] One Look Dictionary = noun: a subdivision of a larger religious group.
[2] Compact Oxford English Dictionary = noun a group of people with different religious beliefs (typically regarded as heretical) from those of a larger group to which they belong.
[3] Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary = noun [C] USUALLY DISAPPROVING, a religious group which has developed from a larger religion and is considered to have extreme or unusual beliefs or customs:
[4] The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition = noun 1. A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice. 2. A religious body, especially one that has separated from a larger denomination.
[5] Online Etymology Dictionary = c.1300, "distinctive system of beliefs or observances; party or school within a religion," from O.Fr. secte, from L.L. secta "religious group, sect," from L. secta "manner, mode, following, school of thought," lit. "a way, road," from fem. of sectus, variant pp. of sequi "follow," from PIE *sekw- "to follow" (see sequel). Confused in this sense with L. secta, fem. pp. of secare "to cut" (see section). Meaning "separately organized religious body" is recorded from 1577. Sectarian first recorded 1649, originally applied by Presbyterians to Independents, from M.L. sectarius, from secta.
[6] Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia = noun: (etymology) The word sect comes from the Latin secta (from sequi to follow), meaning (1) a course of action or way of life, (2) a behavioural code or founding principles, (3) a specific philosophical school or doctrine. Sectarius or sectilis also refer to a scission or cut, but this meaning is, in contrast to popular opinion, unrelated to the etymology of the word. A sectator is a loyal guide, adherent or follower.
There are several different sociological definitions and descriptions for the term.[2] Among the first to define them were Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch (1931).[2] In the church-sect typology they are described as newly formed religious groups that form to protest elements of their parent religion (generally a denomination). Their motivation tends to be situated in accusations of apostasy or heresy in the parent denomination; they are often decrying liberal trends in denominational development and advocating a return to true religion. The American sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge assert that "sects claim to be authentic purged, refurbished version of the faith from which they split".[3] They further assert that sects have, in contrast to churches, a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.[4]
Sectarianism is sometimes defined in the sociology of religion as a worldview that emphasizes the unique legitimacy of believers' creed and practices and that heightens tension with the larger society by engaging in boundary-maintaining practices.[5]
A religious or political cult, by contrast, also has a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but its beliefs are, within the context of that society, new and innovative. Whereas the cult is able to enforce its norms and ideas against members, a sect normally doesn't strictly have "members" with definite obligations, only followers, sympathisers, supporters or believers.
Mass-based socialist, social-democratic, labor and communist parties often had their historical origin in utopian sects, and also subsequently produced many sects, which split off from the mass party. In particular, the communist parties from 1919 experienced numerous splits; some of them, it is argued, were sects from their foundation.
One of the main factors that seems to produce political sects is the rigid continued adherence to a doctrine or idea after its time has passed, or after it has ceased to have clear applicability to a changing reality.
The English sociologist Roy Wallis[6] argues that a sect is characterized by "epistemological authoritarianism": sects possess some authoritative locus for the legitimate attribution of heresy. According to Wallis, "sects lay a claim to possess unique and privileged access to the truth or salvation and "their committed adherents typically regard all those outside the confines of the collectivity as 'in error'". He contrasts this with a cult that he described as characterized by "epistemological individualism" by which he means that "the cult has no clear locus of final authority beyond the individual member."[
Sects in Islam [note: they are NOT supposed to exist, but do; Islam instead calls them movements and/or schools.] Over the period of time after the death of the last Prophet of Islam, Muhammed, there have arisen distinctions by means of schools of thought, traditions, and related faiths.[1][2]
However, the central text of Islam, the Qur'an ordains that Muslims are not to be divided into divisions or sects and rather be united under a common goal of faith in one God alone - Allah[Qur'an 3:103], failure to do which has also been deemed a sin by God and thus forbidden.[6:149][6:159] The Qur'an also ordains that the followers of Islam need to "obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Prophet Muhammad)" stressing on the importance of keeping the commandments mentioned in the Qur'an by Allah, and following all the teachings of Muhammad,[4:59]; labeling everyone who concurs as a 'Muslim'[22:78] as a part of the "best of communities brought forth from mankind".[3:110]
Sunnah wa'l-Jama'h or Ahl as-Sunnah, are the largest denomination of Islam.
The word Sunni comes from the word Sunnah, which means the teachings and actions or examples of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Therefore, the term Sunni refers to those who follow or maintain the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad. It is also found in some books that the word sunni comes from a movement "Am-ul-sunnah" started by Mu'awiya.
The Sunni believe that Muhammad did not specifically appoint a successor to lead the Muslim ummah (community) before his death, and after an initial period of confusion, a group of his most prominent companions gathered and elected Abu Bakr Siddique, Muhammad's close friend and a father-in-law, as the first Caliph of Islam. Sunni Muslims regard the first four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, `Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman Ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abu Talib as the al-Khulafa'ur-Rashidun or "Rashidun" ('The Rightly Guided Caliphs'). Sunnis also believe that the position of Caliph may be democratically chosen, but after the first four Rightly Guided Caliphs the position turned into a hereditary dynastic rule. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, there has never been another as widely recognized Caliph in the Muslim world.
Schools of Fiqh (Law)
Main article: Madh'hab
Madhhab is an Islamic term that refers to a school of thought or religious jurisprudence, or fiqh, within Sunni Islam. Each of the Sahaba had a unique school of jurisprudence, but these schools were gradually consolidated or discarded so that there are currently four recognized schools. The differences between these schools of thought manifest in minor practical differences, as most Sunni Muslims consider them all fundamentally the same. Sunnis generally do not identify themselves with a particular of the following schools of thought - simply calling themselves "Sunnis".
Hanafi
Main article: Hanafi
Founded by Imam Abu Hanifa an-Nu'man, Hanafi is considered to be the school most open to modern ideas. It is predominant among Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, northern Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, Iraq, Turkey, Balkans and in many western countries.
Maliki
Main article: Maliki
The Maliki school derives from the work of Imam Malik ibn Anas. Maliki is practiced in North and West Africa. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims.
Shafi'i
Main article: Shafi`i
Shafi`i was founded by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i, and has adherents among many high ranking Islamic scholars. It is practiced throughout the Ummah, but is most prevalent in Egypt, Somalia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, and is the school of thought officially followed by the government of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. It is followed by approximately 15% of Muslims world-wide.
Hanbali
Main article: Hanbali
Hanbali is considered to be the most conservative of the four schools and the one that relies on Hadith the most. The school was started by the students of Imam Ahmad. Hanbali jurisprudence is predominant among Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula.
Schools of Aqidah (Belief)
Main article: Aqidah
Aqidah is an Islamic term meaning creed or belief. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However this term has taken a significant technical usage in Muslim history and theology, denoting those matters over which Muslims hold conviction. The term is usually translated as 'theology'. Such traditions are divisions orthogonal to sectarian divisions of Islam, and a Mu'tazili may for example, belong to Jafari, Zaidi, or even a Hanafi sect/jurisprudence school, though the latter is usually a rare occurrence.
Ash'ari
Main article: Ash'ari
Ash'ari is a school of early Islamic philosophy founded in the 10th century. It was instrumental in drastically changing the direction of Islam and laid the groundwork to "shut the door of ijtihad" centuries later in the Ottoman Empire. The Asharite view was that comprehension of the unique nature and characteristics of God were beyond human capability.
Maturidi
Main article: Maturidi
A Maturidi is one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidi's theology, which is a close variant of the Ash'ari school. Points which differ are the nature of belief and the place of human reason. The Maturidis state that belief (iman) does not increase nor decrease but remains static; it is piety (taqwa) which increases and decreases. The Ash'aris say that belief does in fact increase and decrease. The Maturidis say that the unaided human mind is able to find out that some of the more major sins such as alcohol or murder are evil without the help of revelation. The Ash'aris say that the unaided human mind is unable to Murjite
Main article: Murji'ah
Murji'ah (Arabic ???????) is an early Islamic school, whose followers are known in English as Murjites or Murji'ites (Arabic ????????). During the early centuries of Islam, Muslim thought encountered a multitude of influences from various ethnic and philosophical groups that it absorbed. Murji'ah emerged as a theological school that was opposed to the Kharijites on questions related to early controversies regarding sin and definitions of what is a true Muslim.
They advocated the idea of "delayed judgement". Only God can judge who is a true Muslim and who is not, and no one else can judge another as an infidel (kafir). Therefore, all Muslims should consider all other Muslims as true and faithful believers, and look to Allah to judge everyone during the last judgment. This theology promoted tolerance of Umayyads and converts to Islam who appeared half-hearted in their obedience. The Murjite opinion would eventually dominate that of the Kharijites.
The Murjites exited the way of the Sunnis when they declared that no Muslim would enter the hellfire, no matter what his sins. This contradicts the traditional Sunni belief which states that some Muslims will enter the hellfire temporarily. Therefore the Murjites are classified as Ahlul Bid'ah or "People of Innovation" by the majority of other Muslims.
Mu'tazili
Main article: Mu'tazili
Mu'tazili theology originated in the 8th century in al-Basrah when Wasil ibn Ata left the teaching lessons of Hasan al-Basri after a theological dispute. He and his followers expanded on the logic and rationalism of Greek philosophy, seeking to combine them with Islamic doctrines and show that the two were inherently compatible. The Mu'tazili debated philosophical questions such as whether the Qur'an was created or eternal, whether evil was created by God, the issue of predestination versus free will, whether God's attributes in the Qur'an were to be interpreted allegorically or literally, and whether sinning believers would have eternal punishment in hell.
Athari
Main article: Athari
Athari is a school that derives its name from the Arabic word Athar, meaning "Narrations". The Athari methodology is to avoid delving into extensive theological speculation. They use the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and sayings of the Sahaba.
Zahiri
Main article: Zahiri
A school of thought which literally translates as literalist, who were regarded as heteredox among many Muslim for rejecting qiyas and arguing that Allah's attributed were to be regarded as literal.
Movements Within Sunni Islam
] Barelwi
Main article: Barelwi
The Barelwi are one of the two major divisions of the Hanafi school of law on the Indian Subcontinent. It was founded by Ahmed Raza Khan of Bareilly, Rohilkhand India (hence the term Barelvi). Barelvis are a sizable portion of the Hanafi Muslim communities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and the United Kingdom, besides having a presence in other places around the world.
Deobandi / Tablighi Jamaat
Main article: Tablighi Jamaat
The Deobandi is one of the two major divisions of the Hanafi school of law on the Indian Subcontinent. Deobandi are Muslims of South Asia and Afghanistan, and have more recently spread to other countries such as South Africa and the United Kingdom. Deobandis follow the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifa and the Maturidi school of aqidah. It is a reformist movement within the Hanafi school of fiqh that advocates a return to the early days of Islam, quite like the Salafis and Ahle Hadith. The Taliban are reputed to follow the teachings of the Deoband school, although a strict and simplistic version of the school's teachings.
Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon
Main article: Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon
Translated as The Muslim Brotherhood, this organisation was founded by Egyptian Scholar Hassan al-Banna who graduated from Dar al-Ulum. With it's various branches it is the largest Sunni movement in the Arab world, with an affilaite usually being the largest opposition party in many Arab nations. The Muslim Brotherhood is not concerned with theological differences, accepting Muslims of any of the four Sunni schools of thought, it is the world's oldest and largest Islamist group. It's aims are to re-establish the Caliphate and in the mean time push for more Islamisation of society. The Brotherhood's stated goal is to instill the Qur'an and Sunnah as the "sole reference point for ... ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community ... and state"
Jamaat-e-Islami
Main article: Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist political party in the Indian Subcontinent. It was founded in Lahore, India, by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi on 26 August 1941,[1] and is the oldest religious party in Pakistan & India.[1] Today sister organizations with similar objectives and ideological approaches exist in India, (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Bangladesh (Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh), Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, and there are "close brotherly relations" with the Islamist movements and missions "working in different continents and countries", particularly those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood or Akhwan-al-Muslimeen.[1] The JI envisions an Islamic government in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan governing by Islamic law. It opposes Westernization--including capitalism, socialism, or such practices as bank interest, and favours and Islamic economic order and Caliphate.
Wahhabism or Salafism
Main article: Wahhabism
Wahhabism was revived by the 18th century teacher Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab in the Arabian peninsula, and was instrumental in the rise of the House of Saud to power. Wahhabism is a puritanical and legalistic Islamic movement under the Sunni umbrella, and is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. The terms "Wahhabism" and "Salafism" are often used interchangeably. In addition to the Qur'an and hadith, and the works of earlier scholars like Ibn Taymiyya for religious guidance. They are often associated with the Hanbali madhhab, although they generally reject the following of a traditional mazhab. Salafis preach Islamic monotheism (tawhid), and claim teachings from Ibn Taymiyyah, a 14th century Syrian scholar. Salafism is in general opposed to Sufism and Shi'a Islam, which they regard as heresies. They see their role as a movement to restore Islam from what they perceive to be innovations, superstitions, deviances, heresies and idolatries.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen
Main article: Jamaat al-Muslimeen
Jamaat ul-Muslimeen is an movement in Sunni Islam revived by the Imam Syed Masood Ahmad in the 1960s.[1] Now the present leader of this group is Muhammad Ishtiaq[2]. The group's reformers were previously part of Salafism and all the followers were previously part of different Sunni and Shi'ite Denominations. After the exodus they reformed the Jamaat (community) based purely upon Islamic Principals and Laws namely Quran and the Tradition (ar. Sunnah) of Muhammad
References:
1. ^ So Many Different Groups of Muslims by Sheikh Yusuf Estes
2. ^ Why are Muslims divided into different Sects/Schools of Thought by Dr. Zakir Naik on IRF.net
3. ^ Corbin (1993), pp. 45 - 51
4. ^ Tabatabaei (1979), pp. 41-44
5. ^ Dakake (2008), pp.1 and 2
6. ^ pewforum.org
7. ^ New York Times: Religious Distribution in Lebanon
8. ^ How many Shia?
9. ^ Demographics of Kuwait
10. ^ Demographics of Turkey
11. ^ Demographics of Albania
12. ^ Discrimination towards Shia in Saudi Arabia
13. ^ Tabatabae (1979), p. 76
14. ^ The Revenge of the Shia
15. ^ Religious Minorities in the Muslim World
16. ^ A History of Islam from a Baha'i Perspective
17. ^ International Crisis Group. The Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia, Middle East Report N°45, 19 September 2005
18. ^ Alawi Islam
19. ^ www.islamicvoice.com/september.98/features.htm
20. ^ Overview of Kharijite islam
21. ^ Trimingham (1998), p.1
22. ^ a b "Invitation to Ahmadiyyat" by Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad Part II, Argument 4, Chapter "Promised Messiah, Promised One of All Religions"
23. ^ The motto "Love for All, Hatred for None" was mentioned by Mirza Nasir Ahmad in his speech in the occasion of laying the foundation stone for the Basharat Mosque in Spain. See "Pathway to Paradise", Chapter 7
24. ^ "Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian never claimed prophethood (in the light of his own writings)", Accusations Answered, The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
25. ^ 9:128-129 Two False Verses Removed from the Quran
26. ^ Masjid Tucson (Mosque of Tucson)- Official Website
27. ^ Religious Dissidence and Urban Leadership: Bahais in Qajar Shiraz and Tehran, by Juan Cole, originally published in Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies 37 (1999): 123-142
[7] 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica = a body of persons holding distinctive or separate doctrines or opinions, especially in matters of religion; thus there are various sects among the Jews, the Mahommedans, and the Buddhists, &c. In the Christian Church it has usually a hostile or depreciatory sense and is applied, like "sectary," to all religious bodies outside the one to which the user of the term belongs.
The latter use has been influenced by the false etymology which makes the word mean "cut off" (Lat. secare, to cut). The derivation has been long a matter of dispute. The Latin secta was used in classical Latin first of a way, a trodden or beaten path; it seems to be derived from secare, to cut, cf. the phrase secare viam, to travel, take one's way, Gr. Teµvecv bobv. From the phrase sectam sequi, to follow in the footsteps of any one, the word came to mean a party, following, faction. Another transferred sense is a manner or mode of life, so hanc sectam rationemque vitae. .. secuti sumus (Cic. Cad. 17, 40). It was also the regular word for a school of philosophy and so translates aipeacs, lit, choice (aipao-Oat, to choose), from which is derived "heresy" (q.v.). The Vulgate (N.T.) translates atpeass sometimes by secta, sometimes by haeresis. In Med. Lat., besides these uses we find secta meaning a suit at law, a suit of clothes, and a following or suite. These meanings point to the derivation of secta adopted by Skeat (Etym. Dict., 1910); which connects the word with sequi, to follow. Whichever derivation is accepted a "sect" does not mean a part "cut off" from the church.
FOURTH, So as can readily be seen, from the definitions given in THIRD above, that when members of Islam say,
"you are not right again please note that sect is not allowed in islam, what we practiced is fiq[h]."
They are just trying to mislead. Islam in actuality has many, many sects, but they call them schools or movements and not sects. Just a cursory look, however, at the meaning of 'sect' immediately shows that all members of Islam are doing is making a play on words, but this in no way changes reality.
FIFTH:
As has been shown, Islamic claims such as their present Qur'an, all present versions/translations can NOT be checked with respect conformity with the original. Why?
Simple, Islam's 'history' claims that in 30 AH, some 18 years after Muhammad's death, during Caliph 'Uthman's reign, there was much contention amongst certain followers of Islam concerning the recitation of the Qur'an [[Mention has not been made of the first collection of the Qur'an, generally said to have been made under the first Caliph Abu Bakr, passed to the second Caliph `Umar, and left at his death to his daughter Hafsah, one of Muhammad's wives. Part of the text of Bukhari, Vol. 6, #509, reads:
"Narrated Zaid bin Thabit; Abu Bakr as-Saddiq sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed... (I went to him) and found `Umar bin Al-Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me); "Umar has come to me and said; "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra of the Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Qur'an by heart) ...and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place... whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'an be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do something which Allah's Messenger did not do?"... "Umar kept urging me until Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realise the good idea which `Umar had realised."... "then Abu Bakr said (to me).'...So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and collect it (in one book)."...So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it... Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till he died, then with `Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of `Umar."]].
It is recorded that he commanded copies to be made of one consonantal symbol text, and sent these to the centres of the Islamic empire with the command that all texts that varied from those copies were to be burnt. [[/ The Hizb ut-Tahrir state almost the same thing:
"Abu Bakr instructed Zaid bin Thabit to collect the Qur'an... The compiled Qur'an was kept by Abu Bakr (ra) until he died, then by Umar bin Khattab, and when he died it was given to his daughter Hafsa (ra).... During the time of Uthman (ra) differences in reading the Qur'an became obvious and after consultation with the companions, Uthman had a standard copy made for [edit.- from] the Suhuf (pages) of Abu Bakr (ra) that were with Hafsa (ra). the copy was prepared by Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah..., Said..., and Abdur-Rahman Harith bin Hisham. Copies were made and distributed, 2 of these copies can today be found in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul and in Tashkent." (What is The Qur'an?, Al Khalifah Publications)]].
"During the time of 'Uthman differences in reading the Qur'an became obvious, and after consultation with the Companions, 'Uthman had a standard copy prepared from the suhuf of Abu Bakr kept with Hafsa at that time.
The following is the report transmitted in Sahih Bukhari:
"Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to 'Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to 'Uthman, 'O chief of the Believers! Set this people right before they differ about the Book (Qur'an), as the Jews and the Christians did before'. Then 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, 'Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may copy the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you. Hafsah sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin az-Zubair, Sa'id bin Al-'As and Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, 'In case you disagree with Zayd bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of the Quraish, as the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue'. They did so, and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsah. 'Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt...."" [Reference - Sahih Bukhari, Vol.6, #510, p. 479).(Ulum, p.52f)].
SIXTH, Caliph Uthman's solution to the great diversity of early Qur'ans was Caliph Uthman came up with a "solution" with regard to these differences that rendered any future checking of corruption of the Qur'an impossible. He burnt all other copies to prevent cross checking for corruption. One Encyclopedia says, <<<" There is no proof of purity - yes, the Qur'an has remained unchanged since the time of Uthman but prior to him various versions of the Qur'an existed. This is a fact.
The reason for the existence of the various versions was that Mohammed's saying were NOT written but commited to memory alone. It is only since Islamic scholars "harmonised" the various verions of the Qur'an as ordered by Uthman that the Qur'an has remained unchanged.
perhaps; but there is no shame in that. And your faith in man's ability to memorise is misplaced.
As said above - the Qur'an when commited to the memory of men was subject to change and variation. It was due to this fact that the Caliph Uthman decreed that the various records be harmonised and written. And all the prior text were destroyed by fire. So just be honest - and
If EVERY Qur'an on the earth were to be destroyed - and if the Qur'an were to be transmitted by memorisation alone - in 100 years there would be 100's, if not 1,000's, of variations in the text.
IS only one version of the Qur'an. But that fact is there WERE many versions. If there were not then the Caliph Uthman would never have gathered a council of Islamic scholars to harmonise the differing version to come up with a standard.
And the fact that it is in Arabic is neither here nor there. God can speak any language. Nothing special bout Arabic or any other language for that matter.
"Please show us the different versions you have insinuated". This is no "insinuation" but a fact that is well known to Imams and Islamic scholars. The fact of the matter is that the Caliph Uthman ordered the burning of ALL pre-existant Qur'an - an order which was carried out - again a fact know to Islamic scholars.
"I await the different versions"...... stupidity. As you very well know they were all destroyed by the command of Caliph Uthman. And what happens if a Christian or some other poor soul happens to deface or destroy the Qur'an ? they get executed!! Was Caliph Utham executed for the same? NO!! So were is Islamic justice??[Source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>.
So given this course of events, it can be seen there is no possibility that the Qur'an can be "pure." In fact many writers have presented proof with respect two missing Suras that were in the original. Let's look at some of the sources for this statement and facts on other missing items.
Muslims attack the Bible on the grounds that it sometimes has conflicting wording from different manuscripts. Yet this is exactly the case with the text of the Quran. There are many conflicting readings on the text of the Quran as Arthur Jeffery has demonstrated in his book, Material for the History of the Text of the Quran (New York, Russell F. Moore, 1952).[source - Material for the History of the Text of the Quran, by Arthur Jeffery, New York, published by Russell F. Moore, 1952].
At one point Jeffery gives 90 pages of variant readings on the text. For example, in Sura 2 there are over 140 conflicting and variant readings on the text of the Quran. ).[source - Material for the History of the Text of the Quran, by Arthur Jeffery, New York, published by Russell F. Moore, 1952].
All Western and Muslim scholars admit the presence of variant readings in the text of the Quran [Sources - Dashti, 23 Years, p. 28; Mandudi, Meaning of the Quran, pp. 17-18; McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia, V152)].
Guillaume points out that the Quran at first "had a large number of variants, not always trifling in significance" [Source - Islam, by Professor Guillaume, p. 189].
"It is interesting to note that in scholarly Muslim journals, there is beginning to be a grudging acknowledgment of the fact that there are variant and conflicting readings on the text of the Quran" [Reference - One example would be Saleh al-Wahaihu, "A Study of Seven Quranic Variants," International Journal of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Vol. V (1989), #2, pp. 1-57)].
According to Professor Guillaume in his book, Islam, (pp. 191ff.), some of the original verses of the Quran were lost. [Source - Islam, by Professor Guillaume, pp. 191ff.]
For example, one Sura originally had 200 verses in the days of Ayesha. But by the time Uthman standardized the text of the Quran, it had only 73 verses! A total of 127 verses had been lost, and they have never been recovered.[source - The Islamic Invasion," by Dr. Robert Morey; Harvest Home Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-89081-983-1].
The Shiite Muslims claim that Uthman left out 25 percent of the original verses in the Quran for political reasons [McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia, V:152)].
That there are verses which got left out of Uthman's version of the Quran is universally recognized [References - Shorter Encyclopedia off Islam, pp. 278-282; Guillaume, Islam, p. 191; Wherry, A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, pp. 110-111)].
[Other References - John Burton's book, The Collection of the Quran, which was published by Cambridge University, documents how such verses were lost (London University Press, 1977, pp. 117ff. See also Arthur Jeffery, Islam: Muhammad and His Religion, New York; Liberal Arts Press, 1958, pp. 66-68)].
Burton states concerning the Muslim claim that the Quran is perfect:
"The Muslin accounts of the history of the Quran texts are a mass of confusion, contradiction and inconsistencies" [Source, The Collection of the Quran, by John Burton, published by Cambridge University, page. 231].
In fact Caliph Ultman had verses added to the Qur'an, let's look at that:
Not only have parts of the Quran been lost, but entire verses and chapters have been added to it.
For example, Ubai had several Suras in his manuscript of the Quran which Uthman omitted from his standardized text.
Thus there were Qurans in circulation before Uthman's text which had additional revelations from Muhammad that Uthman did not find or approve of, and thus he failed to place them in his text.
Also, there are No Originals:
As to the claim that the original manuscript of the Quran is still in existence, we have already pointed out there was no single "manuscript" of the Quran.
Caesar Farah in his book on Islam, states:
"When Muhammad died there existed no singular codex of the sacred text" [source - Caesar Farah, Islam: Beliefs and Observations, New York; Barrons, 1987, p. 28)].
"One thing only is certain and is openly recognized by tradition, namely, that there was not in existence any collection of revelations in the final form, because, as long as he was alive, new revelations were being added to the earlier ones" [source - The Shorter Encyclopedia off Islam comments: (p. 271)].
Clearly, today, no-one has any valid idea what the real original Qur'an was; whereas, there is excellent backup with respect what the original Bible was.
CONCLUSION:
Part 1, It should be readily clear to all that no-one really knows what the original Qur'an was, but with respect the inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, the Bible, its accuracy is readily checkable. Now let's briefly look at the facts once more.
From earliest of times many versions, of the Qur'an, were in circulation that did NOT agree with each other. Caliph Uthman wanted to eliminate this situation, but the way he did ensured the permanent corruption of the Quran by eliminating all checks and balances. He made an "official" version, not the original, and burned all others to prevent cross checking for errors and corruption; whereas, with the inspired word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob, creator of all there is, the Bible, there are over 30,000 ancient Manuscripts, Codex's, fragments, and scrolls that permit checking for errors and corruption's and which make possible the correction of any corruption.
Part 2, Many sects exist within Islam today, but many in Islam are deceptive about this and claim no sects exist. However, the truth is quite different, they just call them something different; to wit, schools or movements. Yet on examination, it can readily be seen what they call schools or movements based on each groups understanding of the 'law' (figh) is in reality NOTHING BUT A SECT.
To learn more, check out the following:
[1] religioustruths.proboards59.com/ An Educational Referral Forum
[2] www.network54.com/Forum/403209 A Forum Devoted to Exposing The False Religion of Islam
[3] jude3.proboards92.com/ A Free-Speech Forum For All
[4] www.freewebs.com/iris_the_preacher My web site.
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
FIRST, There exist NO original copies of the Bible, NOR of the Bible takeoff, the Qur'an.
SECOND, Today there exist over 30,000 fragments, Codex's, scrolls, manuscripts of the Bible, one of the most famous of course is the Dead Sea Scrolls and this has been rigorously compared to modern Bible translations/versions and NO substantial variations with the modern exist. Whereas, there are NO ancient fragments, Codex's, manuscripts, scrolls, etc. of the Qur'an before it was trashed by the third Caliph, Caliph Uthman. So although the present modern translations/versions can be checked for accuracy against many ancient documents; this is absolutely impossible with respect the Qur'an. Therefore, there is NO way of checking the accuracy of any translation/version of the Qur'an against any ancient copy before Caliph Uthman - thus accuracy is completely unknown.
THIRD, The only possible way of checking the accuracy of the current Qur'an against the original would be to check it against the the inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, of the translation/version used by the so called Prophet Muhamad to write the Qur'an, and these still do exist.
So as can readily be seen, when a member of Islam says,
"what you are talking about these are translation of quran and there is not difference in original text."
They are NOT talking with honesty as has been clearly shown. Reality, they, Islam, do NOT have an original text so they have NO way of knowing this. Also, as previously shown, they have no ancient manuscripts or documents earlier than the third Caliph, Caliph Uthman, in the late 7 th. Century.
FOURTH, With respect to the 'play on words' it is quite clear that many in Islam do NOT really understand the significance of the word 'sect.' Now let's look at the meaning of this word instead of getting caught up into words.
SECT
[1] One Look Dictionary = noun: a subdivision of a larger religious group.
[2] Compact Oxford English Dictionary = noun a group of people with different religious beliefs (typically regarded as heretical) from those of a larger group to which they belong.
[3] Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary = noun [C] USUALLY DISAPPROVING, a religious group which has developed from a larger religion and is considered to have extreme or unusual beliefs or customs:
[4] The American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition = noun 1. A group of people forming a distinct unit within a larger group by virtue of certain refinements or distinctions of belief or practice. 2. A religious body, especially one that has separated from a larger denomination.
[5] Online Etymology Dictionary = c.1300, "distinctive system of beliefs or observances; party or school within a religion," from O.Fr. secte, from L.L. secta "religious group, sect," from L. secta "manner, mode, following, school of thought," lit. "a way, road," from fem. of sectus, variant pp. of sequi "follow," from PIE *sekw- "to follow" (see sequel). Confused in this sense with L. secta, fem. pp. of secare "to cut" (see section). Meaning "separately organized religious body" is recorded from 1577. Sectarian first recorded 1649, originally applied by Presbyterians to Independents, from M.L. sectarius, from secta.
[6] Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia = noun: (etymology) The word sect comes from the Latin secta (from sequi to follow), meaning (1) a course of action or way of life, (2) a behavioural code or founding principles, (3) a specific philosophical school or doctrine. Sectarius or sectilis also refer to a scission or cut, but this meaning is, in contrast to popular opinion, unrelated to the etymology of the word. A sectator is a loyal guide, adherent or follower.
There are several different sociological definitions and descriptions for the term.[2] Among the first to define them were Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch (1931).[2] In the church-sect typology they are described as newly formed religious groups that form to protest elements of their parent religion (generally a denomination). Their motivation tends to be situated in accusations of apostasy or heresy in the parent denomination; they are often decrying liberal trends in denominational development and advocating a return to true religion. The American sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge assert that "sects claim to be authentic purged, refurbished version of the faith from which they split".[3] They further assert that sects have, in contrast to churches, a high degree of tension with the surrounding society.[4]
Sectarianism is sometimes defined in the sociology of religion as a worldview that emphasizes the unique legitimacy of believers' creed and practices and that heightens tension with the larger society by engaging in boundary-maintaining practices.[5]
A religious or political cult, by contrast, also has a high degree of tension with the surrounding society, but its beliefs are, within the context of that society, new and innovative. Whereas the cult is able to enforce its norms and ideas against members, a sect normally doesn't strictly have "members" with definite obligations, only followers, sympathisers, supporters or believers.
Mass-based socialist, social-democratic, labor and communist parties often had their historical origin in utopian sects, and also subsequently produced many sects, which split off from the mass party. In particular, the communist parties from 1919 experienced numerous splits; some of them, it is argued, were sects from their foundation.
One of the main factors that seems to produce political sects is the rigid continued adherence to a doctrine or idea after its time has passed, or after it has ceased to have clear applicability to a changing reality.
The English sociologist Roy Wallis[6] argues that a sect is characterized by "epistemological authoritarianism": sects possess some authoritative locus for the legitimate attribution of heresy. According to Wallis, "sects lay a claim to possess unique and privileged access to the truth or salvation and "their committed adherents typically regard all those outside the confines of the collectivity as 'in error'". He contrasts this with a cult that he described as characterized by "epistemological individualism" by which he means that "the cult has no clear locus of final authority beyond the individual member."[
Sects in Islam [note: they are NOT supposed to exist, but do; Islam instead calls them movements and/or schools.] Over the period of time after the death of the last Prophet of Islam, Muhammed, there have arisen distinctions by means of schools of thought, traditions, and related faiths.[1][2]
However, the central text of Islam, the Qur'an ordains that Muslims are not to be divided into divisions or sects and rather be united under a common goal of faith in one God alone - Allah[Qur'an 3:103], failure to do which has also been deemed a sin by God and thus forbidden.[6:149][6:159] The Qur'an also ordains that the followers of Islam need to "obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Prophet Muhammad)" stressing on the importance of keeping the commandments mentioned in the Qur'an by Allah, and following all the teachings of Muhammad,[4:59]; labeling everyone who concurs as a 'Muslim'[22:78] as a part of the "best of communities brought forth from mankind".[3:110]
Sunnah wa'l-Jama'h or Ahl as-Sunnah, are the largest denomination of Islam.
The word Sunni comes from the word Sunnah, which means the teachings and actions or examples of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Therefore, the term Sunni refers to those who follow or maintain the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad. It is also found in some books that the word sunni comes from a movement "Am-ul-sunnah" started by Mu'awiya.
The Sunni believe that Muhammad did not specifically appoint a successor to lead the Muslim ummah (community) before his death, and after an initial period of confusion, a group of his most prominent companions gathered and elected Abu Bakr Siddique, Muhammad's close friend and a father-in-law, as the first Caliph of Islam. Sunni Muslims regard the first four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, `Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman Ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abu Talib as the al-Khulafa'ur-Rashidun or "Rashidun" ('The Rightly Guided Caliphs'). Sunnis also believe that the position of Caliph may be democratically chosen, but after the first four Rightly Guided Caliphs the position turned into a hereditary dynastic rule. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, there has never been another as widely recognized Caliph in the Muslim world.
Schools of Fiqh (Law)
Main article: Madh'hab
Madhhab is an Islamic term that refers to a school of thought or religious jurisprudence, or fiqh, within Sunni Islam. Each of the Sahaba had a unique school of jurisprudence, but these schools were gradually consolidated or discarded so that there are currently four recognized schools. The differences between these schools of thought manifest in minor practical differences, as most Sunni Muslims consider them all fundamentally the same. Sunnis generally do not identify themselves with a particular of the following schools of thought - simply calling themselves "Sunnis".
Hanafi
Main article: Hanafi
Founded by Imam Abu Hanifa an-Nu'man, Hanafi is considered to be the school most open to modern ideas. It is predominant among Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, northern Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, Iraq, Turkey, Balkans and in many western countries.
Maliki
Main article: Maliki
The Maliki school derives from the work of Imam Malik ibn Anas. Maliki is practiced in North and West Africa. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims.
Shafi'i
Main article: Shafi`i
Shafi`i was founded by Imam Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i, and has adherents among many high ranking Islamic scholars. It is practiced throughout the Ummah, but is most prevalent in Egypt, Somalia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, and is the school of thought officially followed by the government of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. It is followed by approximately 15% of Muslims world-wide.
Hanbali
Main article: Hanbali
Hanbali is considered to be the most conservative of the four schools and the one that relies on Hadith the most. The school was started by the students of Imam Ahmad. Hanbali jurisprudence is predominant among Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula.
Schools of Aqidah (Belief)
Main article: Aqidah
Aqidah is an Islamic term meaning creed or belief. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However this term has taken a significant technical usage in Muslim history and theology, denoting those matters over which Muslims hold conviction. The term is usually translated as 'theology'. Such traditions are divisions orthogonal to sectarian divisions of Islam, and a Mu'tazili may for example, belong to Jafari, Zaidi, or even a Hanafi sect/jurisprudence school, though the latter is usually a rare occurrence.
Ash'ari
Main article: Ash'ari
Ash'ari is a school of early Islamic philosophy founded in the 10th century. It was instrumental in drastically changing the direction of Islam and laid the groundwork to "shut the door of ijtihad" centuries later in the Ottoman Empire. The Asharite view was that comprehension of the unique nature and characteristics of God were beyond human capability.
Maturidi
Main article: Maturidi
A Maturidi is one who follows Abu Mansur Al Maturidi's theology, which is a close variant of the Ash'ari school. Points which differ are the nature of belief and the place of human reason. The Maturidis state that belief (iman) does not increase nor decrease but remains static; it is piety (taqwa) which increases and decreases. The Ash'aris say that belief does in fact increase and decrease. The Maturidis say that the unaided human mind is able to find out that some of the more major sins such as alcohol or murder are evil without the help of revelation. The Ash'aris say that the unaided human mind is unable to Murjite
Main article: Murji'ah
Murji'ah (Arabic ???????) is an early Islamic school, whose followers are known in English as Murjites or Murji'ites (Arabic ????????). During the early centuries of Islam, Muslim thought encountered a multitude of influences from various ethnic and philosophical groups that it absorbed. Murji'ah emerged as a theological school that was opposed to the Kharijites on questions related to early controversies regarding sin and definitions of what is a true Muslim.
They advocated the idea of "delayed judgement". Only God can judge who is a true Muslim and who is not, and no one else can judge another as an infidel (kafir). Therefore, all Muslims should consider all other Muslims as true and faithful believers, and look to Allah to judge everyone during the last judgment. This theology promoted tolerance of Umayyads and converts to Islam who appeared half-hearted in their obedience. The Murjite opinion would eventually dominate that of the Kharijites.
The Murjites exited the way of the Sunnis when they declared that no Muslim would enter the hellfire, no matter what his sins. This contradicts the traditional Sunni belief which states that some Muslims will enter the hellfire temporarily. Therefore the Murjites are classified as Ahlul Bid'ah or "People of Innovation" by the majority of other Muslims.
Mu'tazili
Main article: Mu'tazili
Mu'tazili theology originated in the 8th century in al-Basrah when Wasil ibn Ata left the teaching lessons of Hasan al-Basri after a theological dispute. He and his followers expanded on the logic and rationalism of Greek philosophy, seeking to combine them with Islamic doctrines and show that the two were inherently compatible. The Mu'tazili debated philosophical questions such as whether the Qur'an was created or eternal, whether evil was created by God, the issue of predestination versus free will, whether God's attributes in the Qur'an were to be interpreted allegorically or literally, and whether sinning believers would have eternal punishment in hell.
Athari
Main article: Athari
Athari is a school that derives its name from the Arabic word Athar, meaning "Narrations". The Athari methodology is to avoid delving into extensive theological speculation. They use the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and sayings of the Sahaba.
Zahiri
Main article: Zahiri
A school of thought which literally translates as literalist, who were regarded as heteredox among many Muslim for rejecting qiyas and arguing that Allah's attributed were to be regarded as literal.
Movements Within Sunni Islam
] Barelwi
Main article: Barelwi
The Barelwi are one of the two major divisions of the Hanafi school of law on the Indian Subcontinent. It was founded by Ahmed Raza Khan of Bareilly, Rohilkhand India (hence the term Barelvi). Barelvis are a sizable portion of the Hanafi Muslim communities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and the United Kingdom, besides having a presence in other places around the world.
Deobandi / Tablighi Jamaat
Main article: Tablighi Jamaat
The Deobandi is one of the two major divisions of the Hanafi school of law on the Indian Subcontinent. Deobandi are Muslims of South Asia and Afghanistan, and have more recently spread to other countries such as South Africa and the United Kingdom. Deobandis follow the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifa and the Maturidi school of aqidah. It is a reformist movement within the Hanafi school of fiqh that advocates a return to the early days of Islam, quite like the Salafis and Ahle Hadith. The Taliban are reputed to follow the teachings of the Deoband school, although a strict and simplistic version of the school's teachings.
Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon
Main article: Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon
Translated as The Muslim Brotherhood, this organisation was founded by Egyptian Scholar Hassan al-Banna who graduated from Dar al-Ulum. With it's various branches it is the largest Sunni movement in the Arab world, with an affilaite usually being the largest opposition party in many Arab nations. The Muslim Brotherhood is not concerned with theological differences, accepting Muslims of any of the four Sunni schools of thought, it is the world's oldest and largest Islamist group. It's aims are to re-establish the Caliphate and in the mean time push for more Islamisation of society. The Brotherhood's stated goal is to instill the Qur'an and Sunnah as the "sole reference point for ... ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community ... and state"
Jamaat-e-Islami
Main article: Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist political party in the Indian Subcontinent. It was founded in Lahore, India, by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi on 26 August 1941,[1] and is the oldest religious party in Pakistan & India.[1] Today sister organizations with similar objectives and ideological approaches exist in India, (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Bangladesh (Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh), Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, and there are "close brotherly relations" with the Islamist movements and missions "working in different continents and countries", particularly those affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood or Akhwan-al-Muslimeen.[1] The JI envisions an Islamic government in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan governing by Islamic law. It opposes Westernization--including capitalism, socialism, or such practices as bank interest, and favours and Islamic economic order and Caliphate.
Wahhabism or Salafism
Main article: Wahhabism
Wahhabism was revived by the 18th century teacher Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab in the Arabian peninsula, and was instrumental in the rise of the House of Saud to power. Wahhabism is a puritanical and legalistic Islamic movement under the Sunni umbrella, and is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. The terms "Wahhabism" and "Salafism" are often used interchangeably. In addition to the Qur'an and hadith, and the works of earlier scholars like Ibn Taymiyya for religious guidance. They are often associated with the Hanbali madhhab, although they generally reject the following of a traditional mazhab. Salafis preach Islamic monotheism (tawhid), and claim teachings from Ibn Taymiyyah, a 14th century Syrian scholar. Salafism is in general opposed to Sufism and Shi'a Islam, which they regard as heresies. They see their role as a movement to restore Islam from what they perceive to be innovations, superstitions, deviances, heresies and idolatries.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen
Main article: Jamaat al-Muslimeen
Jamaat ul-Muslimeen is an movement in Sunni Islam revived by the Imam Syed Masood Ahmad in the 1960s.[1] Now the present leader of this group is Muhammad Ishtiaq[2]. The group's reformers were previously part of Salafism and all the followers were previously part of different Sunni and Shi'ite Denominations. After the exodus they reformed the Jamaat (community) based purely upon Islamic Principals and Laws namely Quran and the Tradition (ar. Sunnah) of Muhammad
References:
1. ^ So Many Different Groups of Muslims by Sheikh Yusuf Estes
2. ^ Why are Muslims divided into different Sects/Schools of Thought by Dr. Zakir Naik on IRF.net
3. ^ Corbin (1993), pp. 45 - 51
4. ^ Tabatabaei (1979), pp. 41-44
5. ^ Dakake (2008), pp.1 and 2
6. ^ pewforum.org
7. ^ New York Times: Religious Distribution in Lebanon
8. ^ How many Shia?
9. ^ Demographics of Kuwait
10. ^ Demographics of Turkey
11. ^ Demographics of Albania
12. ^ Discrimination towards Shia in Saudi Arabia
13. ^ Tabatabae (1979), p. 76
14. ^ The Revenge of the Shia
15. ^ Religious Minorities in the Muslim World
16. ^ A History of Islam from a Baha'i Perspective
17. ^ International Crisis Group. The Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia, Middle East Report N°45, 19 September 2005
18. ^ Alawi Islam
19. ^ www.islamicvoice.com/september.98/features.htm
20. ^ Overview of Kharijite islam
21. ^ Trimingham (1998), p.1
22. ^ a b "Invitation to Ahmadiyyat" by Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad Part II, Argument 4, Chapter "Promised Messiah, Promised One of All Religions"
23. ^ The motto "Love for All, Hatred for None" was mentioned by Mirza Nasir Ahmad in his speech in the occasion of laying the foundation stone for the Basharat Mosque in Spain. See "Pathway to Paradise", Chapter 7
24. ^ "Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian never claimed prophethood (in the light of his own writings)", Accusations Answered, The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
25. ^ 9:128-129 Two False Verses Removed from the Quran
26. ^ Masjid Tucson (Mosque of Tucson)- Official Website
27. ^ Religious Dissidence and Urban Leadership: Bahais in Qajar Shiraz and Tehran, by Juan Cole, originally published in Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies 37 (1999): 123-142
[7] 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica = a body of persons holding distinctive or separate doctrines or opinions, especially in matters of religion; thus there are various sects among the Jews, the Mahommedans, and the Buddhists, &c. In the Christian Church it has usually a hostile or depreciatory sense and is applied, like "sectary," to all religious bodies outside the one to which the user of the term belongs.
The latter use has been influenced by the false etymology which makes the word mean "cut off" (Lat. secare, to cut). The derivation has been long a matter of dispute. The Latin secta was used in classical Latin first of a way, a trodden or beaten path; it seems to be derived from secare, to cut, cf. the phrase secare viam, to travel, take one's way, Gr. Teµvecv bobv. From the phrase sectam sequi, to follow in the footsteps of any one, the word came to mean a party, following, faction. Another transferred sense is a manner or mode of life, so hanc sectam rationemque vitae. .. secuti sumus (Cic. Cad. 17, 40). It was also the regular word for a school of philosophy and so translates aipeacs, lit, choice (aipao-Oat, to choose), from which is derived "heresy" (q.v.). The Vulgate (N.T.) translates atpeass sometimes by secta, sometimes by haeresis. In Med. Lat., besides these uses we find secta meaning a suit at law, a suit of clothes, and a following or suite. These meanings point to the derivation of secta adopted by Skeat (Etym. Dict., 1910); which connects the word with sequi, to follow. Whichever derivation is accepted a "sect" does not mean a part "cut off" from the church.
FOURTH, So as can readily be seen, from the definitions given in THIRD above, that when members of Islam say,
"you are not right again please note that sect is not allowed in islam, what we practiced is fiq[h]."
They are just trying to mislead. Islam in actuality has many, many sects, but they call them schools or movements and not sects. Just a cursory look, however, at the meaning of 'sect' immediately shows that all members of Islam are doing is making a play on words, but this in no way changes reality.
FIFTH:
As has been shown, Islamic claims such as their present Qur'an, all present versions/translations can NOT be checked with respect conformity with the original. Why?
Simple, Islam's 'history' claims that in 30 AH, some 18 years after Muhammad's death, during Caliph 'Uthman's reign, there was much contention amongst certain followers of Islam concerning the recitation of the Qur'an [[Mention has not been made of the first collection of the Qur'an, generally said to have been made under the first Caliph Abu Bakr, passed to the second Caliph `Umar, and left at his death to his daughter Hafsah, one of Muhammad's wives. Part of the text of Bukhari, Vol. 6, #509, reads:
"Narrated Zaid bin Thabit; Abu Bakr as-Saddiq sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed... (I went to him) and found `Umar bin Al-Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me); "Umar has come to me and said; "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra of the Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Qur'an by heart) ...and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place... whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'an be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do something which Allah's Messenger did not do?"... "Umar kept urging me until Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realise the good idea which `Umar had realised."... "then Abu Bakr said (to me).'...So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and collect it (in one book)."...So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it... Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till he died, then with `Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of `Umar."]].
It is recorded that he commanded copies to be made of one consonantal symbol text, and sent these to the centres of the Islamic empire with the command that all texts that varied from those copies were to be burnt. [[/ The Hizb ut-Tahrir state almost the same thing:
"Abu Bakr instructed Zaid bin Thabit to collect the Qur'an... The compiled Qur'an was kept by Abu Bakr (ra) until he died, then by Umar bin Khattab, and when he died it was given to his daughter Hafsa (ra).... During the time of Uthman (ra) differences in reading the Qur'an became obvious and after consultation with the companions, Uthman had a standard copy made for [edit.- from] the Suhuf (pages) of Abu Bakr (ra) that were with Hafsa (ra). the copy was prepared by Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah..., Said..., and Abdur-Rahman Harith bin Hisham. Copies were made and distributed, 2 of these copies can today be found in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul and in Tashkent." (What is The Qur'an?, Al Khalifah Publications)]].
"During the time of 'Uthman differences in reading the Qur'an became obvious, and after consultation with the Companions, 'Uthman had a standard copy prepared from the suhuf of Abu Bakr kept with Hafsa at that time.
The following is the report transmitted in Sahih Bukhari:
"Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to 'Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to 'Uthman, 'O chief of the Believers! Set this people right before they differ about the Book (Qur'an), as the Jews and the Christians did before'. Then 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, 'Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may copy the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you. Hafsah sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin az-Zubair, Sa'id bin Al-'As and Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, 'In case you disagree with Zayd bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of the Quraish, as the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue'. They did so, and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsah. 'Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt...."" [Reference - Sahih Bukhari, Vol.6, #510, p. 479).(Ulum, p.52f)].
SIXTH, Caliph Uthman's solution to the great diversity of early Qur'ans was Caliph Uthman came up with a "solution" with regard to these differences that rendered any future checking of corruption of the Qur'an impossible. He burnt all other copies to prevent cross checking for corruption. One Encyclopedia says, <<<" There is no proof of purity - yes, the Qur'an has remained unchanged since the time of Uthman but prior to him various versions of the Qur'an existed. This is a fact.
The reason for the existence of the various versions was that Mohammed's saying were NOT written but commited to memory alone. It is only since Islamic scholars "harmonised" the various verions of the Qur'an as ordered by Uthman that the Qur'an has remained unchanged.
perhaps; but there is no shame in that. And your faith in man's ability to memorise is misplaced.
As said above - the Qur'an when commited to the memory of men was subject to change and variation. It was due to this fact that the Caliph Uthman decreed that the various records be harmonised and written. And all the prior text were destroyed by fire. So just be honest - and
If EVERY Qur'an on the earth were to be destroyed - and if the Qur'an were to be transmitted by memorisation alone - in 100 years there would be 100's, if not 1,000's, of variations in the text.
IS only one version of the Qur'an. But that fact is there WERE many versions. If there were not then the Caliph Uthman would never have gathered a council of Islamic scholars to harmonise the differing version to come up with a standard.
And the fact that it is in Arabic is neither here nor there. God can speak any language. Nothing special bout Arabic or any other language for that matter.
"Please show us the different versions you have insinuated". This is no "insinuation" but a fact that is well known to Imams and Islamic scholars. The fact of the matter is that the Caliph Uthman ordered the burning of ALL pre-existant Qur'an - an order which was carried out - again a fact know to Islamic scholars.
"I await the different versions"...... stupidity. As you very well know they were all destroyed by the command of Caliph Uthman. And what happens if a Christian or some other poor soul happens to deface or destroy the Qur'an ? they get executed!! Was Caliph Utham executed for the same? NO!! So were is Islamic justice??[Source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>.
So given this course of events, it can be seen there is no possibility that the Qur'an can be "pure." In fact many writers have presented proof with respect two missing Suras that were in the original. Let's look at some of the sources for this statement and facts on other missing items.
Muslims attack the Bible on the grounds that it sometimes has conflicting wording from different manuscripts. Yet this is exactly the case with the text of the Quran. There are many conflicting readings on the text of the Quran as Arthur Jeffery has demonstrated in his book, Material for the History of the Text of the Quran (New York, Russell F. Moore, 1952).[source - Material for the History of the Text of the Quran, by Arthur Jeffery, New York, published by Russell F. Moore, 1952].
At one point Jeffery gives 90 pages of variant readings on the text. For example, in Sura 2 there are over 140 conflicting and variant readings on the text of the Quran. ).[source - Material for the History of the Text of the Quran, by Arthur Jeffery, New York, published by Russell F. Moore, 1952].
All Western and Muslim scholars admit the presence of variant readings in the text of the Quran [Sources - Dashti, 23 Years, p. 28; Mandudi, Meaning of the Quran, pp. 17-18; McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia, V152)].
Guillaume points out that the Quran at first "had a large number of variants, not always trifling in significance" [Source - Islam, by Professor Guillaume, p. 189].
"It is interesting to note that in scholarly Muslim journals, there is beginning to be a grudging acknowledgment of the fact that there are variant and conflicting readings on the text of the Quran" [Reference - One example would be Saleh al-Wahaihu, "A Study of Seven Quranic Variants," International Journal of Islamic and Arabic Studies, Vol. V (1989), #2, pp. 1-57)].
According to Professor Guillaume in his book, Islam, (pp. 191ff.), some of the original verses of the Quran were lost. [Source - Islam, by Professor Guillaume, pp. 191ff.]
For example, one Sura originally had 200 verses in the days of Ayesha. But by the time Uthman standardized the text of the Quran, it had only 73 verses! A total of 127 verses had been lost, and they have never been recovered.[source - The Islamic Invasion," by Dr. Robert Morey; Harvest Home Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-89081-983-1].
The Shiite Muslims claim that Uthman left out 25 percent of the original verses in the Quran for political reasons [McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia, V:152)].
That there are verses which got left out of Uthman's version of the Quran is universally recognized [References - Shorter Encyclopedia off Islam, pp. 278-282; Guillaume, Islam, p. 191; Wherry, A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, pp. 110-111)].
[Other References - John Burton's book, The Collection of the Quran, which was published by Cambridge University, documents how such verses were lost (London University Press, 1977, pp. 117ff. See also Arthur Jeffery, Islam: Muhammad and His Religion, New York; Liberal Arts Press, 1958, pp. 66-68)].
Burton states concerning the Muslim claim that the Quran is perfect:
"The Muslin accounts of the history of the Quran texts are a mass of confusion, contradiction and inconsistencies" [Source, The Collection of the Quran, by John Burton, published by Cambridge University, page. 231].
In fact Caliph Ultman had verses added to the Qur'an, let's look at that:
Not only have parts of the Quran been lost, but entire verses and chapters have been added to it.
For example, Ubai had several Suras in his manuscript of the Quran which Uthman omitted from his standardized text.
Thus there were Qurans in circulation before Uthman's text which had additional revelations from Muhammad that Uthman did not find or approve of, and thus he failed to place them in his text.
Also, there are No Originals:
As to the claim that the original manuscript of the Quran is still in existence, we have already pointed out there was no single "manuscript" of the Quran.
Caesar Farah in his book on Islam, states:
"When Muhammad died there existed no singular codex of the sacred text" [source - Caesar Farah, Islam: Beliefs and Observations, New York; Barrons, 1987, p. 28)].
"One thing only is certain and is openly recognized by tradition, namely, that there was not in existence any collection of revelations in the final form, because, as long as he was alive, new revelations were being added to the earlier ones" [source - The Shorter Encyclopedia off Islam comments: (p. 271)].
Clearly, today, no-one has any valid idea what the real original Qur'an was; whereas, there is excellent backup with respect what the original Bible was.
CONCLUSION:
Part 1, It should be readily clear to all that no-one really knows what the original Qur'an was, but with respect the inspired word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, the Bible, its accuracy is readily checkable. Now let's briefly look at the facts once more.
From earliest of times many versions, of the Qur'an, were in circulation that did NOT agree with each other. Caliph Uthman wanted to eliminate this situation, but the way he did ensured the permanent corruption of the Quran by eliminating all checks and balances. He made an "official" version, not the original, and burned all others to prevent cross checking for errors and corruption; whereas, with the inspired word of the true God (YHWH) of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob, creator of all there is, the Bible, there are over 30,000 ancient Manuscripts, Codex's, fragments, and scrolls that permit checking for errors and corruption's and which make possible the correction of any corruption.
Part 2, Many sects exist within Islam today, but many in Islam are deceptive about this and claim no sects exist. However, the truth is quite different, they just call them something different; to wit, schools or movements. Yet on examination, it can readily be seen what they call schools or movements based on each groups understanding of the 'law' (figh) is in reality NOTHING BUT A SECT.
To learn more, check out the following:
[1] religioustruths.proboards59.com/ An Educational Referral Forum
[2] www.network54.com/Forum/403209 A Forum Devoted to Exposing The False Religion of Islam
[3] jude3.proboards92.com/ A Free-Speech Forum For All
[4] www.freewebs.com/iris_the_preacher My web site.
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
