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Questions for Muslims

by CroMagnon

Greetings to all, I have some Questions (Q) for my Muslim friends:

Question 1:
# Why is it that Allah does NOT want EVERYBODY to be a perfect Muslim but only a selected few?

* In the Quran He speaks about Unbelievers being alive & kicking, so if Quran is true for ALL times & ALL people, there WERE, ARE & WILL BE Unbelievers allways and everywhere, in the past, present and future.

* See also:
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 71, Number 648:
..... So I saw a big crowd covering the horizon. Then it was said to me, "These are your followers, and among them there are 70,000 who will enter Paradise without (being asked about their) accounts .....

* This hadith says: at the end of times there will be only 70,000 true/perfect Muslims that will go to Paradise without question.

* If I understand Islam correct, Unbelievers exist because of 3 reasons:
a) because Allah leads astray whomever He wants
b) because of the influence of Satan
c) because of the free will of humans

As Allah is the All-Powerfull Initiator of Everything, point b and c come down to point a: it is Allah who doesn't want EVERYBODY to be(come)/stay a true muslim.

Q1.1: What's the use of giving a Book of Guidance (the Quran) when He has allready decided (see point a above) who will and who will not be able (because Allah decided for them) to follow His Book of Guidance?

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Question 2:
#. Do muslims consider Allah to be infinite in mental and/or physical sense an/or other senses?

* If the answer is NO, this means that Allah is restricted in His characteristics, which goes contrary to muslims belief.

* If the answer is YES, this means that the mental/physical/other properties of His creation are included in Himself (because Infinity contains everything). This means His creation is part of Himself, which goes contrary to muslims belief.

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Question 3:
#. Did Allah perfect Islam on a PARTICULAR day?

* Quran 005.003:
...... This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. .....

* This particular day apparently was in Mohammed's time, because he was the one who 'got' this verse.

Q 3.1: So before this day, was there only a 'not yet perfected' version of Islam?
Q 3.2: If so, did the prophets before Mohammed preached this 'not yet perfected' version of Islam and therefor can't be considered to have been true muslims by the standard of the Quran as we know it today (which is supposedly True for ALL times and ALL people (including previous prophets)?

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Question 4:
#. Why is it considered superstition or idolatry in Islam to assign a certain/higher power to the sun, the moon and the stars and their settings/movements (astrology) when Allah Himself apparently assigns a higher power to these heavenly bodies when 'He' swears by them in the following Quran verses:

051.007
YUSUFALI: By the Sky with (its) numerous Paths,
PICKTHAL: By the heaven full of paths,
SHAKIR: I swear by the heaven full of ways.

081.015
YUSUFALI: So verily I call to witness the planets - that recede,
PICKTHAL: Oh, but I call to witness the planets,
SHAKIR: But nay! I swear by the stars,

084.016
YUSUFALI: So I do call to witness the ruddy glow of Sunset;
PICKTHAL: Oh, I swear by the afterglow of sunset,
SHAKIR: But nay! I swear by the sunset redness,

085.001
YUSUFALI: By the sky, (displaying) the Zodiacal Signs;
PICKTHAL: By the heaven, holding mansions of the stars,
SHAKIR: I swear by the mansions of the stars,

086.001
YUSUFALI: By the Sky and the Night-Visitant (therein);
PICKTHAL: By the heaven and the Morning Star
SHAKIR: I swear by the heaven and the comer by night;

091.001
YUSUFALI: By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;
PICKTHAL: By the sun and his brightness,
SHAKIR: I swear by the sun and its brilliance,

* Please note that the English concepts 'swearing by' or 'calling to witness' were/are originally allways and only used in circumstances wherein one is appealing to a higher authority, be it the Law, a Deity or a religious/sacred scripture.

I don't know Arabic and therefor can not say anything about the original Arabic words, but from the English translations it seems, on pure semantic/etymological grounds, that the speaker/writer (alledgedly Allah) of these words is making this statements appealing to a higher authority.

Q 4.1: Isn't it a bit strange for Allah to appeal to another/higher authority?
Q 4.2: Isn't it a bit strange for Allah to engage Himself in astrology?
Q 4.3: Suppose the English translations are incorrect, why are all English islamic sites quoting from it?

* Some references to meaning and use of 'swear by'/'calling to witness'/'oath' :

www.dictionary.com/Webster Dictionary
To swear:
1. To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed; to make a promise, threat, or resolve on oath;
1a. also, to affirm solemnly by some sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the Bible, the Koran, etc. 2. (Law) To give evidence on oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement;

To swear by: to place great confidence in a person or thing; to trust implicitly as an authority.

Oath:
1. A solemn affirmation or declaration, made with a reverent appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.
2. A solemn affirmation, connected with a sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the temple, the altar, the blood of Abel, the Bible, the Koran, etc.
3. (Law) An appeal (in verification of a statement made) to a superior sanction, in such a form as exposes the party making the appeal to an indictment for perjury if the statement be false.

Encyclopćdia Britannica
to swear: making an oath
Oath = sacred or solemn voluntary promise usually involving the penalty of divine retribution for intentional falsity and often used in legal procedures.
The oath, perhaps the oldest means for encouraging truthful testimony, forms a link between court proceedings and religious belief since, in its usual form, witnesses swear by Almighty God that they are speaking the truth.

dictionary.msn.com
swear by:
call on somebody as witness: to use the name of a person or thing thought to be sacred to reinforce a solemn declaration or promise.

www.slider.com/enc
swearing: see: oath:
vocal affirmation of the truth of one's statements, generally made by appealing to a deity. From the earliest days of human history, calling upon the gods of a community to witness the truth of a statement or the solemnity of a promise has been commonly practiced. The force of the oath depends on the belief that supernatural powers will punish falsehood spoken under oath or the violation of a promise. The oath thus performs wide legal and quasi-legal functions.

witness: see: evidence:
in law, means by which a judicial body resolves disputed questions of fact.

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If these words were uttered by Mohammed it would have made some sense: a human appealing to 'higher authorities/sacred things', although astrology isn't exactly encouraged in Islam....?

However, if these are the words of Allah (as the muslims believe), this appealing to higher authorities doesn't make much sense at all....

Reactions? Please post them in this thread at FFI:
http://forum.faithfreedom.org/viewtopic.php?t=401

Thank you.

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