ISLAM
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE OF THE FREE MIND
Ameer Al Sharawe
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
The author is unaware of any affiliation, funding, or financial holdings that might be perceived as affecting the objectivity of this book.
Copyright © 2018 Ameer Al Sharawe
Publisher: tredition, Hamburg, Germany
ISBN
Paperback: |
978-3-7469-9067-5 |
Hardcover: |
978-3-7482-1035-1 |
eBook: |
978-3-7482-1036-8 |
Printed on demand in many countries
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
There are two kinds of people that seek the truth; those who want to know the truth, and those who are looking for anything to justify their faith - what they were told to trust as the absolute truth.
Evidence can be debated from what we hear or what we read, but I believe it can be clearly confirmed as ‘True’ or ‘False’ when it is rigorously challenged by the free-thinking mind, or the ‘FTM’ for short. It is one of the best tools to use as a clear microscope to examine this evidence under the powerful lenses of logic, reason and science. It will clearly confirm to us whether what we are told is actually true or not.
Ameer Al Sharawe
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The purpose of this book
PREFACE
Chapter 1
ALLAH - THE GOD OF ISLAM
The All-Powerful
The All-Compassionate, All-Merciful
The Knower of All, The Perfectly Wise, The Just
The Source of Peace, The Loving One
The Avenger
The Watchful One
The Responder to Prayer
The Forgiving
Conclusion
Chapter 2
MOHAMED - THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH
Major Events
Mohamed’s marriage to Aisha
The massacre of the ‘Banu Qurayza’ tribe
The brutal Killing of the mother of Qirfa
Mohamed marrying his adopted son’s wife
The brutal killing of people from Ukil
Killing Asma ‘the daughter of Marwan’
Stoning the adulteress mother from Juhaina
Sex with captive women is approved
Mohamed’s views on women
Mohamed’s ego and self-admiration
Mohamed’s thoughts on his parents
Appraisal of Mohamed’s credentials
Conclusion
Chapter 3
THE QURAN
Introduction
What is marvellous about the Quran?
Is the Quran a divine book?
Is the Quran a perfect book?
Is the Quran clear?
Is the Quran free of myths and fabricated stories?
Can the Quran be challenged?
Is the Quran text eloquent and uniquely expressed?
Does the Quran have perfect morals and teachings for mankind?
Chapter 4
IS THE QURAN MIRACULOUS?
Scientific Errors
Embryology in the Quran
Seven layers of the atmosphere
Earth is made of seven layers
Speed of light in the Quran
Black Holes and Pulsars
Mohamad's splitting of the moon
Big Bang miracle
Contradicting / Irrational Statements
What about the Fig & the Olive?
Why ‘Abu Lahab’?
Allah did not will to give every soul its guidance, his priority was to fill his hell with humans and jinn!
We do know, we just want to make sure
This is how we revealed it. Some statements are decisive, and some are not so clear!
Change of plan – here is the correct numbers!
The sky is no longer a free territory!
No more spying in my heavenly kingdom
Stones have emotions and can exhibit fear
Has Allah truly spoken with his heaven and earth?
Do shadows prostrate and how?
How many kinds of livestock did Alah bring down and where did they come from?
Does the foetus stay within triple layers of darkness?
Can hell be so sadistic and greedy?
Why wait for 950 years?
Where do human sperms come from?
Do we come back to life after death?
Historical Errors
The tower of Babel and Haman.
The golden calf
The punishment of crucifixion
A native prophet in every nation
The night journey to Al-Qsa mosque
Mohamed in the Bible
Is Al Kaaba the sacred house of Allah?
What is the final verdict on the Quran?
Chapter 5
THE SHARIA LAW
Introduction
Sources of Sharia
The acts of worship - The Five Pillars of Islam
Human interaction
Is Sharia a suitable legislation for mankind ?
Chapter 6
IS ISLAM A RELIGION OF PEACE?
Chapter 7
THE BRAIN WASHING MACHINES
Dr Zakir Naik (ZN)
Dr Adnan Ibrahim (AI)
Ali Al Kayali (AK)
Dr Mohamed Rateb Nabilsi (MRN)
Nuoman Ali Khan (NAK)
Omar Suleiman (OS)
Linda Sarsour (LS)
Chapter 8
HAVE MUSLIMS LEARNT ANYTHING FROM THEIR HISTORY?
Brief synopsis of the rise and fall of the Islamic Empire
Mohamed’s magic touch to establish his empire
The period of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs
The Umayyad Caliphate/dynasty
The Rise of The Shiites
The Abbasid Caliphate/dynasty
Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo
The Golden Age
The fall of the Abbasids and decline of the Arabs
Reasons behind the fall of the Abbasid/Islamic Arab Empire
The Fatimid dynasty
The Crusaders
The Buyid dynasty
Ayyubid dynasty
The Mamluk Sultanate & dynasty
The Mongol
Muslims in Spain / Al-Andalus
The Ottoman / Turkish rule
The Islamic World in the 20th and 21st Centuries
Conclusion
Chapter 9
THE HUMAN MIND AND INDOCTRINATION
Introduction
The human mind and religious brainwashing
What happens when the human mind is brainwashed?
The People’s Temple
Heaven's Gate
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
Aum Shinrikyo
Is teaching children religion brainwashing?
Is our brain genetically connected to God?
The human mind and so-called divine miracles
Exploring further into the human brain?
Hearing voices
Conclusion
Chapter 10
IS THERE A GOD AND WOULD THIS GOD BE ALLAH?
Introduction
God’s definition
What are God’s characteristics?
What is the purpose of creating the universe and mankind?
Does God interfere in human affairs?
The evidence of God’s existence
The ‘Five Ways’
The Kalam Cosmological Argument
The Ontological Argument
What about the evidence of Allah’s existence?
The Quranic evidence
Conclusion
Chapter 11
DO WE NEED GOD FOR OUR MORALS?
Is religion the source of our moral values? Where do we get our morals from?
The basis of Natural Morality
Summary of Natural Morality as explained by Darwin
Conclusion
Chapter 12
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Does life have meaning without religion?
Is religion dangerous?
My verdict on the Islamic belief
Notes and references
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
The primary objective of this book is not to ridicule Muslims, but to present uncovered evidence that will enable Muslims to rethink and re-evaluate their Islamic faith, without any influence of the mind control which is often exacted by selfish, psychotic, misguided and evil characters.
PREFACE
There exists out there one of the most vicious viruses to have ever evolved, silently enriching itself for thousands of years. It has the super capability of turning its victim into a totally obedient host. It is the ‘Religious Brainwashing’ virus that can easily control and abuse the naïve and ignorant human mind. I had no idea I was also a victim of this virus.
I was taken by religion at the age of seven. When I was fourteen, all I wanted was to please God and secure a place in paradise. Most of my time was spent in the mosque learning my faith, praying and memorizing the Quran.
While I was connected to Allah and Mohamed heart and soul, or more correctly ‘being brainwashed’, I could ask any question about Islam but when the questions were about Allah; ‘Who created him and where did he come from?’, the response was swift; 'Such concepts are beyond our comprehension and should not even be thought of.' These kinds of questions are induced by Satan to doubt Allah and become unbelievers, the mission for which Satan was sent down to earth.
To protect my faith, I was told to recite the Unity Chapter from the Quran; ‘Say, He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.’ This Chapter is meant to tell Muslims all they need to know about Allah. It also acts as a shield from Satan – and where my questions of Allah were supposed to rest, regardless of my failed understanding!
Wild questions kept running in my mind and I was determined to find some answers that would align with reason and common sense. If ‘Allah’ is entirely self-sustained, why has he an endless army of angels to do his work, to worship and glorify him?
I tried hard to find answers in the Quran, Mohamed’s teachings and the guidance of Muslim scholars, those who are supposed to be enlightened by Allah to guide us.
All I found was a fictitious belief heavily borrowed from others - a belief based on irrational thoughts and myths.
This book contains the details of my findings - the results of free mind research and critical analysis based on reason and scientific evidence. The objective is to enlighten those who blindly believe in Islam and immunize those who are still looking for the truth.
THE TURNING POINT
I have travelled a great deal interacting with all sorts of people of various religious beliefs, different levels of knowledge and backgrounds. I started in the UK to finish my studies, then went to the USA and many European and Asian countries to end up working in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates for many years.
It is shocking to see Muslim countries overrun by corrupted tyrants, extravagant and self-indulged individuals who hardly have any morals and certainly have no respect for human rights.
In many countries with Muslim majority, one sees all kinds of human suffering, oppression, slavery and abuse, as well as all kinds of tenacious addictions and worst of all, the massive destruction caused by religious conflicts.
Corruption and evil behaviour have been recorded on a higher scale in the Arab countries that adopted the Islamic Sharia Law - the so-called divine legislation that has so much absurdity, hate, immoral and prejudicial teaching.
One would have thought that Allah could easily have provided undeniable evidence of his existence and that Islam is the only true religion. He is the God who does not need worship, yet demands it, who does not need to create, but does so even though most of his wretched creatures will not benefit from being created. He is the God who wants us to freely choose to love and obey him yet threatens us if we do not.
Allah seems to have ignored most of the world in favour of one man in the small area of desert, who chose to communicate with his human creatures, through randomly selected men, labelled as prophets, since the day he sent a man onto earth, but decided to end all communications 1400 years ago. He is the 'All-Perfect' who sent three divine books but allowed the first two to be corrupted before determining to protect the third one, which of course he could have done from the start. He is the 'All-Knowing' who made his messages so ambiguous and easily misinterpreted that people will forever be arguing and killing each other over it. He is the 'Merciful' whose tests involve killing, starving and afflicting his poor creatures with the disease, disaster, and congenital defects, then punishes them if they lose faith in Him.
I simply could not believe that if there were a God, he would be so cruel as to torture his flawed and limited creatures without end; ‘Boiling fluid will be poured down onto their heads which will melt what is in their bellies and skins. For them will be hooked rods of iron whenever in their anguish they try to escape from hell they shall be dragged back. They will cry out for help but will be granted scorching water like melted brass that will scald their faces. As often as their skins are roasted through, we shall exchange them for new skins to feel the pain forever.’ (Quran 22:19-22, 18:29, 4:56,69:36, 44:43-48, 47:15, 3:88,& 5:37)
It took me many years to realise the shackles Islam puts on the human mind to prevent it from free thinking. It is this free critical thinking, with the aid of reason and scientific evidence, that can easily tell us the dangers hidden behind the Islamic blind belief. It can also tell us why Muslims and Arabs have utterly failed to resurrect the glory that they had in the past, despite their many attempts over the last 900 years.
Preface
WHAT IS THIS BOOK ALL ABOUT?
This book aims to expose the hidden dangers of the Islamic doctrine, and to show the terrible consequences Muslims have endured after blindly submitting to those claiming to have been empowered by Allah, with promises of guidance down the right path, protection from hellfire and damnation, and told it is the only way to secure their heavenly place in the life after.
It will mainly be addressing Islam, the religion I practiced and have thoroughly investigated for many years.
Chapters One, Two and Three will examine the credentials of ‘Allah’, ‘Mohamed’ and ‘The Quran’
Chapter Four will give clear evidence that the Quran is not a divine book, nor is it the book of any scientific miracle.
Chapter Five will highlight the principles of the Sharia Law and the damaging consequences of its implementation.
Chapter Six will examine the Muslim apologists' justifications to announce Islam as a religion of peace.
Chapter Seven aims to expose the Islamic propaganda, the brainwashing machines, that have been aggressively used for almost 1400 years to cripple and control peoples’ minds.
Chapter Eight will be a thorough review of the history of the Islamic world. It will highlight the chaotic conditions that Islam has brought upon its followers after 1400 years. Have Muslims, mainly the Arabs, realised that it is about time to change course if they ever wish to restore any of the glory they once had in the past?
Chapter Nine will talk about the human mind and how it can be deceptive and manipulative - anything it imagines, initiates or fabricates can be proclaimed as the truth, particularly when it comes to religious belief – a belief that cannot be seen or tested, yet it is presented to us as an undeniable truth.
In Chapter Ten, I will be discussing the evidence of God’s existence. If God exists would that be Allah? Is he the only deity who created the universe and decided to govern it alone?
Chapter Eleven should provide sufficient details of where our morals come from, and whether God is necessary for us to behave decently and be good to each other?
The last chapter will highlight my verdict on the Islamic doctrine and summarise the reasons behind my judgment. I will also talk about the next step, the way forward to adopt a free mind, to embrace reason, and science without any mind control influence.
I expect this book to be received unkindly by some religious fanatics who will label me as ‘an enemy of Islam’. Most will condemn this book before even looking at it – just by hearing that it has some negative thoughts about Islam!
Religious extremists see things in black and white. It is either believe in our God or else! However, those kinds of people do not worry me in the least. I believe that it is everyone’s right to say what she or he believes to be the truth, without threat and without causing harm to others.
I hope this book will help millions to free themselves from being slaves to any of the many Gods and Goddesses that have been imposed on mankind for thousands of years. It will help people not to submit blindly to a so-called religious faith that can justify some of the most evil acts under the sun!
I respect peoples’ choice in whatever belief they wish to adopt. Equally, I would expect others to respect my free choice to be a non-believer, one who considers religion to be behind many of the conflicts throughout mankind's history. It is a fact that the blood that has been shed in the name of religion far outweighs all moral values that religion has taken the credit for.
Chapter 1
ALLAH - THE GOD OF ISLAM
Islam is based on three main elements:
1- ‘Allah’, the God which Muslims claim as the only true God, the creator of all things.
2- ‘Mohamed’, the allegedly chosen prophet that was appointed by Allah to deliver his message.
3- ‘The Quran’, the claimed divine message which Allah revealed to Mohamed for the welfare of mankind.
In this chapter, we will investigate the characteristics of ‘Allah’ as described in the Quran and further detailed by Mohamed.
‘Allah’ has ninety–nine names identifying his attributes and functions. Muslims believe Allah is the only existing God that created the Universe and controls everything in it. He is the absolute ruler that governs alone without any partner or associates. He keeps a close eye on his creatures all the time, interferes and decides the fate of everything in this world. He is unique and cannot be compared to any physical shape or image the human mind can conceive.
Here are the ninety-nine names that highlight Allah’s characters and functions:
‘The All-Merciful’, ‘The Absolute Ruler’, ‘The Pure one’, ‘The All-Compassionate’, ‘The Source of Peace’, ‘The Guardian’, ‘The Inspirer of Faith’, ‘The Victorious’, ‘The Compeller’, ‘The Greatest’, ‘The Creator’, ‘The Maker of Order’, ‘The Shaper of Beauty’, ‘The Forgiving’, ‘The Subduer’, ‘The Giver of All’, ‘The Sustainer’, ‘The Opener’, ‘The Knower of All’, ‘The Constrictor’, ‘The Reliever’, ‘The Abaser’, ’The Exalter’, ‘The Bestower of Honours’, ‘The Humiliator’, ‘The Hearer of All’, ‘The Seer of All’, ‘The Judge’. ‘The Just’, ‘The Subtle One’, ‘The All-Aware’, ‘The Forbearing’, ‘The Magnificent’, ‘The Rewarder Thankfulness’, ‘The Forgiver and Hider of Faults’, ‘The Highest’, ‘The Greatest’, ‘The Preserver’, ‘The Nourisher’, ‘The Accounted’, ‘The Mighty’, ‘The Generous’ ,‘The Watchful One’, ‘The Responder to Prayer’, ‘The All-Comprehending’, ‘The Perfectly Wise’, ‘The Loving One’. ‘The Majestic One’, ‘The Resurrect or’, ‘The Witness’, ‘The Truth’, ‘The Trustee’, ‘The Possessor of All Strength’, ‘The Forceful One’, ‘The Governor’, ‘The Praised One’, ‘The Appraiser’, ‘The Originator', ‘The Restorer’, ’The Giver of Life’, ‘The Taker of Life’, ‘The Ever Living One’, ‘The Self-Existing One’, ‘The Finder’, ‘The Glorious’, ‘The Unique’, ‘The Single’, ‘The One’, ‘The Indivisible’, ‘The Satisfier of All Needs’, ‘The All Powerful’, ‘The Creator of All Power’, ‘The Expediter’, ‘The Delayer’, ‘The First’, ‘The Last’, ‘The Hidden One’, ‘ The Protecting Friend’, ‘The Supreme One’, ‘The Doer of Good’, ‘The Guide to Repentance’, ‘The Avenger’, ‘The Forgiver’, ‘The Clement’, ‘The Owner of All’, ‘The Lord of Majesty and Bounty’, ‘The Equitable One’, ‘The Gatherer’, ‘ The Rich One’, ‘The Preventer of Harm’, ‘The Creator of The Harmful’, ‘The Creator of Good’, ‘The Light’, ‘The Guide’, ‘ The Originator’, ‘The Everlasting One’, ‘The Inheritor of All’, ‘The Righteous Teacher’, ‘The Patient One’.
Let us look at the meanings of some of these names and see how much of the truth they reflect in our real life. For instance, when someone says; ‘This man is a wise person’, we would expect such a man to act wisely and make wise decisions. I will elaborate on a few of these names, those that are in common usage by many Muslims. We will let the microscope of the free-thinking mind reveal what the meanings of these names entail and then objectively compare that with Allah’s attitude, his performed actions and his common behaviours, as highlighted in the Quran, and seen in real life. My comparison will be strictly based on logic and scientific evidence.
Here are the selected names that we will be looking at: ‘All-Powerful’, ‘All-Compassionate’, ‘All-Merciful’, 'The Knower of All’, ‘The Perfectly Wise’, 'The Just’, ‘Source of Peace’, ‘The Loving One’, ‘The Avenger’, ‘The Watchful One’, ‘The Responder to Prayer’ and the ‘The Forgiving’.
The All-Powerful
If Allah is ‘all-powerful’ then there is no need for him to hide! One can only think of the following reasons for a being to remain unseen:
- Fear or mental instability.
- Ugliness or shyness.
- Playing games and loving surprises.
- Invisibility thus cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Muslim apologists may also say; ‘The human brain cannot detect Allah, because he is a spirit and not an object’- another wild justification with no evidence whatsoever!
Let us quickly examine the assumed four reasons for Allah not to appear in public:
1. Allah is claimed to be 'All Powerful' - so he is certainly not frightened to show himself to anyone.
2. Allah cannot be ugly or shy because he claimed to be ‘All-Perfect’.
3. It is not part of Allah’s characters to play games or have fun. This claim has already been made clear by Allah in his Quran (Chapter 21, verse 16).
4. If Allah is invisible, then surely he could change his status, being capable of doing anything at any time! If Allah does not want to be seen, he should at least tell us why?
One can see no valid reason for Allah staying in hiding and the only justification I have heard so far is; ‘Allah knows best’ or ‘It is the secret that Allah keeps for himself’. I regard such phrases as mere excuses, the purpose of which is to shut off the human mind.
The All-Compassionate, All-Merciful
Mercy and compassion are characters of someone affectionate and kind, someone that can offer unconditional support and care to those who happen to be afflicted with a severe illness, defects, the loss of loved ones or being tortured and abused. Clearly, neither of these is shown by Allah, since he enforces eternal punishment on those who choose not to believe in him, not to believe in his book or not to believe in his angels and his prophets. Allah goes one step further and severely punishes anyone who associates him with a companion, a partner or a helping hand!
The way that Allah promises to punish the non-believers does not imply any merciful touch. It is impossible to imagine the God (Allah), who created people in his image and made a perfect job of his creation, as he claimed, to eventually throw many of them into hellfire, billions if the count started since mankind existed. This is what Allah promised in his Quran; ‘Those who reject our revelations - We will scorch them in a Fire. Every time their skins are cooked, we will replace them with fresh skins, so they will experience the suffering. Allah is Most Powerful, Most Wise.’(Q4:56)
(Q4:56 means the Quranic chapter and verse. Here it is Chapter 4, verse 56)
The God of Islam will forgive all sins, except not believing in him, or claiming he has a partner or a companion! Such acts warrant hellfire for eternity. If Allah is ‘All-Powerful’ why should he be the least bit bothered whether people believe in him, let alone inflict such extreme punishment on non-believers?
Justifying such horrible torture, Muslim apologists often say that Allah, being the sole owner of the universe, has the right to do what he wishes with us and he always knows best. Surely a totally illogical and ridiculous justification?
Let us see what the Free-Thinking Mind (FTM) says about this:
- Allah, being 'All Powerful' does not need to resort to such retaliatory measures as an eternal hell for these sinful creatures. They were initially of his own making but if they happened to be a nuisance, then Allah can make them vanish by uttering just a few words! Why punish and torture forever?
- Threats usually come from those who need to prevent anticipated danger or harm. Allah, ‘The supposedly untouchable supreme being’, has not been harmed or been exposed to any danger, so why being defensive to retaliate?
If justice what Allah is after, then no logic can justify the eternal torture imposed on non-believers – that of constant skin replacement in hellfire, and the feeling of maximum pain forever.
Take this simple example for comparison. A company director happens to find out that one of his employees does not believe him to be qualified for his position. The worst that the director could do, would be to dismiss the employee. No one, in his sound mind, would ever think that the director would retaliate by setting the employee on fire, kill him, or cause him permanent damage, as such an act would label the director as a lunatic or a murderer.
The FTM would conclude that:
- Allah cannot be ‘All-Merciful’ or ‘Compassionate’.
- If Allah needs to punish, then he is very unfair with his degree of punishment.
- Allah appears to be that personal God with a sadistic nature, the one that gets joy and self-satisfaction from burning his creatures and making them suffer for eternity.
Muslim apologists often justify Allah’s unfair punishment by saying - ‘Allah knows it all, and whatever he does it would be for our benefit’- something I consider to be an easy way out when Islam has no answer to satisfy logic.
If we look further in the Quran, we can sense Allah's high level of anger and his threat of severe punishment for unbelievers:
This verse tells us that Allah has already committed himself to fill hellfire with his creatures, both human and the invisible jinn; ‘Had we willed, we could have given every soul its guidance……’. It is a very disturbing statement! Allah had not chosen to give each soul its guidance, but he chose to fill his hellfire with human and jinni creatures. Why? Where is the justice in such a decision? One would expect Allah to say; ‘For those who happen to be at fault, for any reason, we shall help them to get on the right path and keep them away from such mischief. If they believe and have trust in me then I will bless and reward them for it, but if they chose not, then I would leave them to their choice.’
This could then be considered a kind statement coming from Allah and it would certainly reveal Allah’s support for his people, giving them the freedom of choice.
Another verse describes hellfire as a greedy beast; “‘We shall ask Hell that day; ‘Are you full? It will answer: ‘Are there still more?’” (Q50:30)
And this is a real harsh one; ‘Then fear the fire (of hell), the fuel of which is men and stones; kept ready for the disbelievers.’ (Q2:24)
Is Allah telling us that the best fuel for his hellfire would be
human bodies and stone?
Even the angels will have their share of joy in torturing the disbelievers; “’And if you see the angels when they are removing the souls of the disbelievers, hitting them on their faces and their backs; ‘Taste the agony of the Burning, for what you have brought upon yourselves - God is surely not unjust to His creatures.’”(Q8:50&51)
How could any of the above verses indicate mercy or passion?
The Knower of All, The Perfectly Wise, The Just
If Allah knows everything, then he must know that some people are going to be led astray ending up as sinful, wrongdoers or criminals, irrespective of how much guidance or warnings they have been given. Knowing their ill-fate, Allah should have stopped them from going down the wrong track. This would be the least expected from 'The Just' and 'The Perfectly Wise' God.
Let me clarify this in a simple example. Think of an army leader who has a mission to accomplish. The fate of his army is dependent on the success of this mission. The leader needs to select a brave and highly trained soldier to execute the mission. Would any leader in his sound mind pick up a soldier, knowing from his record or even suspect that he is incapable of doing the job? Definitely not! As the leader would be fully accountable should the mission fail.
Let us now see what the FTM comments are:
1. If Allah knows it all, then he would know how every living human would act. So why would he allow those doomed to be bad to commit dreadful deeds?
2. If testing us is Allah’s objective, then trying us would be useless as Allah already knows what the end result would be.
3. What about our free choice to exist in this life? This option should have been given by Allah before, or at the time that, he finalized his divine plan in which he knew that billions of people would eventually be doomed to hellfire. It would be fair of Allah to give these people a choice such as - ‘You can live on earth and do whatever you like, but there will be rules for which you would be fully accountable for. However, you my human creatures, need to know that I have decided to keep secret the two things I see clearly in my crystal ball; how good or bad your behaviour will be, and the timing of your death! Now, the decision is yours; you can opt out or take the risk?’
I do not recall or know of anyone that was given this option! Let me give you another example to simplify this issue. There is an advertisement for a candidate to take part in an experiment in which the result could be fatal, but if the experiment is successful, the reward would be worthwhile. One would expect that the candidate would be told of the consequences and certainly be given the option of acceptance or refusal. It would be considered sheer deceit or abuse if the candidate was not given this option. It would be useless and a waste of time to carry out the experiment if the result was known beforehand. Amazingly, however, one of the well-known preachers among the Asian Muslim community, seemed to have the answer to this puzzle. His name is Dr Zakir Naik. In one of his lectures (1) he said that upon the completion of Adam’s creation, Allah asked Adam to take responsibility for living on earth. Adam had accepted the offer and being the father of all mankind, Zakir Naik concluded that Adam’s acceptance was done on behalf of all mankind - that is, for every human who came after Adam, till the end of time.
It is no wonder that Zakir Naik's conclusion made sense to many Muslims who have already accepted that Mohamed reached the so-called seventh heaven on a winged horse! In Chapter Seven, I will be refuting Zakir Naik’s ridiculous justifications and his answers in defending Islam.
Here is another verse that has really puzzled me; ‘And say, the truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe, and whoever wills - let him disbelieve. Indeed, we have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces.’(Q18:29)
Is Allah telling us that we have a free choice to believe or disbelieve? Or is he saying; it does not matter what we do - he, eventually, will do what he wanted to do?
The Source of Peace, The Loving One
How can Allah be the source of peace when he instructs one group of people – (so-called believers or Muslims) - to kill and destroy another group of people - (labelled as non-believers or infidels). Both were created by ‘Allah’?
One could argue that the non-believers are serious sinners who have disobeyed Allah and deserve to die. In this case it would make sense for Allah not to create them in the first place. Besides, a ‘Just’ God would not punish the non-believers twice, once by sanctioning their lives to be taken away and second by torturing them for eternity in the life after!
Apart from a few verses stating that Allah loves those that believe in him and do good deeds, there is hardly a verse in the Quran that talks about love! On the contrary, the Quran has about 130 verses that reflect Allah’s anger, hate and severe punishment for those that do not believe in Allah's or Mohamed's revelations.
Let us look at some of these verses where Allah categorises the non-believers as his worst enemy and the lowest of the low! Why would Allah commit the non-believers to eternal punishment! Allah should either give them the brains to choose or take their brains away and make them submit blindly. Allah seems to be doing both. He gives us the brain to choose, yet we should submit, regardless. If we chose not to believe in him, then we are doomed to hellfire!
Here are some Quranic verses for one to see what kind of love Allah has in mind:
1. “‘And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from where they had expelled you’. ‘If they fight you, then kill them. Such is the retribution of the disbelievers.’” (Q2:191)
2. ‘The punishment for those who fight Allah and His Messenger, and strive to spread corruption on earth, is that they be killed, or crucified, or have their hands and feet cut off on opposite sides or be banished from the land. That is to disgrace them in this life, and in the Hereafter, they will have a terrible punishment.’(Q5:33)
What a sadistic penalty Allah has imposed on those who oppose him and his prophet Mohamed! To be crucified and have all their limbs completely cut off. On top of that, they will be severely tortured in the life after. One wonders what benefit Allah and Mohamed would gain from human mutilation?
Muslim apologists justify the above verses as acts of self-defence when Muslims are threatened or attacked! I can think of three reasons why such justification is completely false:
a. Mohamed’s assault on the Banu Qurayza tribe (2), where he slaughtered all the men (some eight hundred) and enslaved all their women and children, was executed as per angel Gabriel’s instruction that Banu Qurayza were traitors and should be eliminated. They were never proved to be wrongdoers who deserve to be killed!
b. The 43 killings and assassinations ordered or supported by Mohamed to silence people who mocked, insulted, or cast doubt on him (3). Whilst they did not believe in him as God’s messenger, none of them physically attacked Mohamed forcing him to defend himself and to kill them.
c. The 95 expeditions undertaken by Muslim communities during Mohamed’s lifetime were raids and invasion expeditions (4). None of them can be regarded as self-defence.
Mohamed’s rivals did not start the fighting. They simply would not buy into his divine revelation claims. They saw his religion as a collection of myths, historical stories and known ethics, most of which were copied from others.
In his Quran, Mohamed did not pay much attention to peace, passion or love, since these elements were missing in his childhood. As a result, he was not guided about how essential these elements were for mankind!
Another instruction from Allah to Mohamed was to fight the Christians and Jews who did not believe in Allah’s revelation and those who did not testify on what Allah and Mohamed have stated to be unlawful: ‘Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizya willingly and humbly.’ (Q9:29) This verse has nothing to indicate that Allah is the source of peace towards other religions
Notice the exception here; it is all right for Christians and Jews to retain their beliefs, providing a sum of money is paid, a special tax called ‘Jizya’ (5), for their protection! I find this to be blackmail in all but words; pay us money if you want to keep your religion otherwise you will be killed’. This is another way of showing how Islam created resentment among non-Muslims and caused massive disruption of peace. What we see happening now in Egypt and Iraq where churches have been savagely attacked and destroyed because Christians did not agree to pay ‘Jizya’.
Here is another weird example of how Allah reacted to Noah’s request to have mercy on his drowned son, the one who refused to board his ark and be saved from the flood that Allah sent as punishment to the non-believers. Noah was hoping that Allah would respond positively to a loving father’s plea:
“’And Noah called to his Lord and said, ‘My Lord, indeed my son is of my family; and indeed, your promise is true; and you are the most just of judges!’” (Q11:45)
This is where the great surprise comes! Allah, instead of responding positively to such a fatherly request, rebuked Noah reminding him not to interfere in his decision, for he (Allah) knows better than anyone else:
He said (Allah), ‘O Noah, indeed he is not of your family; indeed, he is [one whose] work was other than righteous, so ask Me not for that about which you have no knowledge. Indeed, I advise you, lest you be among the ignorant.’(Q11:46)
I found such a scenario to be disturbing, far from showing Allah to be ‘The Loving one’! Such an alleged event would raise three serious questions:
1. What harm would it do for Allah to respond to Noah’s request, supporting one of his loyal prophets?
2. Why is Allah blaming Noah, knowing that Noah did not know what Allah had in mind?
3. One would expect Allah to be sympathetic to comfort Noah from the shock of losing his son - not to make him feel worse!
The Avenger
I am not sure who Allah wants revenge on! Being all-powerful, he just needs to say the word 'be' and it shall 'become' whatever he wants it to be. Retaliation is a part of human nature that should not be associated with God's characters, the creator of all and the superior being above everything. If Allah needs revenge on people, then it would be as though he was exacting revenge on himself, being the maker who is responsible for their wrongdoings!
This is the sort of revenge Allah had taken against people because they were disobeying him, ignoring his messengers, searching for another religion, or violating the Sabbath.
On one occasion Allah turned those who mocked his messengers into swine and apes besides committing them to hell. On other occasions Allah drowned Noah's people, and wiped out the people of Hud, Lot and Salih: 1. ‘And when Our command came about, we turned it upside down…’(Q11:82) 2. “‘And you surely knew those of you who violated the Sabbath. We said to them, ‘Be despicable apes!’” (Q2:65)
3. “‘Say, ‘Shall I inform you of worse than that for retribution from Allah?’ He whom Allah has cursed, and with whom He became angry; and He turned some of them into apes, and swine, and idol worshipers.’” (Q4:60) 4. ‘For, if one goes in search of a religion other than self-surrender unto Allah, it will never be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter.’ (Q3:85) 5. ‘But whoever disobeys God and His Messenger, Allah will admit him into a Fire to stay in it forever.’ (Q4:14)
The Watchful One
If Allah had been watching what was happening on earth to mankind, he would have done something about it a long time ago! All kinds of suffering, disease, deformities, oppression, war and destruction, and the starvation of millions. One wonders if Allah was also watching those people who were enjoying all their luxuries and hardly concerned with what was going on around them. Was it fair of Allah to make some of them suffer and others happy and joyful?
If Allah is constantly watching over us, why does he let so many bad things happen to people, especially children and innocents - who have done nothing to deserve such dreadful misery.
Muslim apologists have a weird justification for this. They say it is Allah’s wisdom to expose mankind to all kind of suffering, to test their faith, quoting the following Quranic verses:
‘Have the people supposed that they will be left alone to say, ‘We believe’, without being put to the test?’(Q23:2), and
‘He who created death and life—to test you—as to which of you is better in conduct. He is the Almighty, the Forgiving.’ (Q67:2) If Allah needs to test us, then he apparently has no knowledge of what the behavioural end result will be! The whole purpose of testing is to find out unknown information or results. Allah, supposedly, already knew everything, so testing us would be pointless. If Allah is also the ‘watchful one’, then he should have interfered long ago to put an end to all our suffering and the endless abuse by some evil and tyrannical people. For the last 1400 years, Allah has been threatening retaliation on the wrongdoers, but only in the life after and even then, the disbelievers would be his primary concern!
The Responder to Prayer
Allah promised to answer peoples’ prayers as the Quran said; ‘Call upon Me and I will answer you.’(Q40:60), but there is not a single piece of evidence that Allah ever responded! The Syrian conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, made millions homeless and resulted in the worst destruction recorded in modern history. It is the country where I was born and lived for many years. The place of which the majority of people are good, intelligent and hard working. People who seek nothing in their lives but peace and happiness to themselves and others around them. I am not here to discuss the root cause of the conflict, though in my opinion, ignorance, greed and religion were behind it all. What I wanted to say is that Allah, since the conflict started in 2011, must have received billions of prayers to help those who suffered, or to end the conflict. It has been almost eight years and so far, Allah appears not to care a less! Worse than that is the justification Muslim apologists have given as an answer to this; ‘Allah is the only one to know and to decide on the best time to respond, and for those whose prayers he did not answer in this life, he would certainly reward them in the life after.’
The Forgiving
What is there to forgive? Making mistakes is a part of people’s nature. Mistakes should be attributed to the maker and not blamed on the people who are then punished for them. Besides, Allah had already agreed to Satan’s request to come down to earth to delude mankind;
“’[Allah] said: ‘Descend. You have no right to be here’. ‘Go; you are one of the damned.’ [Satan] said, ‘Respite me till the day they will be resurrected.’. Allah Said, ‘You are given respite’. ‘[Satan] said, Since You led me into error, I shall lie in wait for them along Your straight path. I shall come upon them from the front and behind, right and left; and You will not find most of them grateful [to You]. ‘Begone’, said Allah, ‘contemptible and rejected! As for those who follow you, I shall put them all in Hell.’” (Q7:13-17) Was it a good idea to let Satan come down to earth and create sinners, causing them to end up in hell? Or was it something Allah needs to fulfil his promise of filling hellfire? ‘I will fill Hell with jinn and humans, altogether.’ (Q32:13)
One should also be aware that Allah has surrounded people with temptations. If people are too weak to resist these enticements, then it is unfair for Allah to punish them, knowing beforehand their tests’ negative results!
If disbelieving in Allah is regarded an unforgiven sin, then how could Allah be called ‘the Tolerant’ or ‘the Forgiving’?
Conclusion
Looking at Allah’s advertised credentials in comparison with what is happening in real life, one can clearly see huge conflict between the two. I will leave it to the reader to judge if the God of Islam is All-Knowing, All Perfect, Just and Merciful. Or, is he an obsessive God who hates anyone disobeying him and disagreeing with Mohamed? Is he a passionate and loving God, or is he a God with a sadistic nature who enjoys burning people alive and making them suffer for eternity?