Boreal
Getting to Know Allah
Allah vs. Alleged Associates
18:110
Say (O Muhammad): “I am only a mortal like you. It has been revealed to me that your
God is One God. Let him who hopes to meet his Lord, do what is good and associate none in the worship of his Lord.”
16:73 And they worship, besides Allah, what cannot provide anything for them from the heavens or the earth and can do nothing.
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17:56 Say (Muhammad: “Call on those whom you claim to be His associates. They will not be able to lift adversity from you nor divert it.”
17:57 Those they call upon are themselves seeking means of access to their Lord, to show who is closer to Him. They hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Indeed, the Torment of Your Lord should be feared.
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22:12 He calls, besides Allah, on that which neither harms nor profit him (other gods). That is the worst (the farthest from the Way) error.
22:13 He calls upon him whose harm is likelier than his profit. Wretched is the Master and wretched is the ally!
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23:116 Glory be to Allah, the True King; there is no God but He. He is indeed the Lord of the Noble Throne.
23:117 He who calls, along with Allah, upon another god of whom he has no proof, his reckoning is with His Lord. Surely, the unbelievers will never prosper.
23:118 Say: “Lord Forgive and have mercy; for You are the Best of the Merciful.”
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37:1 By the rangers ranged in rows;
37:2 By the reprovers (sic) reproving; 37:3 By the reciters of a Reminder;
37:4 Your God is surely One,
37:5 The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, Lord of the Orients.
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“The majority of the commentators are agreed that Revelations 37:1-3 imply groups of the angels.” Moududi
More revelations about the rangers:
37:164 There is not one of us but has a well-known station.
37:165 And we are indeed the rangers.
37:166 And we are those who glorify.
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Other gods—which, on many occasions, Allah admits to creating while damning those who believe in their existence—are, as aforementioned, an obsession of the most powerful god to ever to lay claim to the title. In this chapter we concentrate on presenting some of the remaining evidence, which saturates the Koran, of this deep-seated psychosis that may be responsible for the most people murdered in the name of a deity. Shirk, or associating other gods with Allah, is the number one sin in Islam. It is an unpardonable sin in the here-and-now and in the Hereafter. Christians can pay a poll tax, the Jizya, to continue worshipping the Trinity. Not so for anyone else who would associate other gods with Allah.
People were murdered in the tens of millions for the sin of shirk, with the greatest number being Indus. Dr. K. S. Lal in Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, (1973) estimates that between 1000 CE and 1500 CE, during the period of the Muslim conquest of much of the Indian sub-continent, the population of Hindus decreased by 80 million; meaning that for much of that period the death rate among Hindus exceeded their birthrate. Quite an accomplishment when you consider that the deliberate killing of tens of millions of polytheists was mostly by the sword.
Those Accursed, Pesky Other Gods
You may love Allah as much as you love the other gods, but that will not cut you any slack with the god who brooks no equal. It’s into the Fire with you!
2:165 Yet, there are people who set up equals to Allah, whom they love as they love Allah. Those who believe, however, have greater love for Allah. If only the evil-doers could understand, upon seeing the punishment, that all power is Allah’s and that Allah is Stern in punishment.
2:166 Those who were followed will disowned those who followed them when they will see the punishment and their relations with each other will be severed.
2:167 Those who followed will say: "If only we could go back (to life on earth) we would disown them as they disowned us." Thus Allah will show them their works as sources of deep regret. And they will never come out of the Fire.
Allah makes clear early on that He will forgive any crime except that of shirk.
4:116 Allah will not forgive associating [any other god] with Him, but will forgive anything less than that, to whomever He wills. He who associates [any other god] with Allah, has really gone very far astray!
4:117 Apart from Him, they only invoke (worship) the goddesses of Quraysh; they only invoke a rebellious devil Satan),
(See Chapter “Allah Loves His Cattle: Slicing the Ears of Cattle” for the remaining revelations in this series.)
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Except for a small skirmish, the Quraysh, the leading tribe of Mecca—on the advice of their commander Abu Sufyan who told them the situation was hopeless—surrendered the city (see From Jihad in Koran: “Mecca Surrenders,” Boreal Books) and agreed to become Muslim, but not before obtaining a concession from Muhammad that they may continue worshipping the goddesses al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat: the goddesses of Revelation 4:117.
The next day, after he has complete control of their city, the Prophet informed them that it was all the devil’s doing; that Satan had intruded on his conversations with God the previous night, and that in the morning Allah had set him straight and the verses pertaining to al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, the so-called Satanic Verses, were stricken from the Koran.
22:52 We have not sent a Messenger or Prophet before you but when he recited the Devil would intrude into his recitation. Yet Allah annuls what the Devil had cast. Then Allah establishes His Revelations. Allah is All-Knowing and Wise.
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Allah considers the concept of the Christian Trinity as associating other gods with His Magnificence. Christians will deny, on Judgement Day, that they have ever been polytheists (Revelation 6:23).
6:20 Those to whom We have given the Book (the Gospel in this instance) know him (the Prophet) as they know their own children; but those who have lost their souls will not believe.
6:21 And who is more unjust than he who imputes falsehood to Allah or denies His Revelations? Indeed the unjust shall not prosper.
6:22 And on the Day that We shall gather them all together, then say to those who associated other gods [with Allah]. “Where are those whom you allege to have been your associate-gods?”
6:23 Then their only excuse will be simply to say: “By Allah, our Lord, we have not been polytheists.”
6:24 Look [O Muhammad], how they will lie to themselves and how that which they fabricated will fail them.
Allah taketh away and Allah giveth back. What other god would do that?
6:46 Say: “Tell me! If Allah were to take away your hearing and sight and seal your hearts, what god other than Allah would give them back to you?” Behold, how We make plain Our Revelations, but they turn away.
Allah delivers people from the depths of both land and sea. In spite of that, they still give other gods some of the credit.
6:63 Say: “Who will deliver you from the dark depths of the land and the sea? You call upon Him humbly and secretly saying: ‘If He delivers us from this we will certainly be thankful.’”
6:64 Say: “Allah delivers you from this and from every distress; yet you associate [other gods with Him].”
Why would you believe in gods that are not only bad for business but who also cannot punish?
6:71 Say: “Shall we call, besides Allah, on what neither profits nor harms us, and turn on our heels after Allah has guided us?” [We shall then be] like one who, being tempted by the devils in the land, is bewildered though he has friends who call him to guidance [saying]: “Come to us.” Say: “Guidance from Allah is the true guidance. And we are commanded to submit to the Lord of the Words;
6:72 “And perform the prayers and fear Him; for He is the One unto Whom you shall be gathered.”
A warning for Muhammad that these other gods may be a figment of someone's imagination, but you can't be too careful.
6:108 Do not curse those [deities] whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they wrongfully curse Allah without knowledge. Thus We have made the deeds of every nation seem fair to them; then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they were doing.
An offering to Allah, made along with an offering to alleged associates, never reaches Him but reaches His purported partners.
6:136 They assigned to Allah a share of the tilth (crop) and cattle He created, saying: "This is for Allah," - as they declare - "and this is for our associate-gods." And while that which is assigned to their associate-gods does not reach Allah, that which is set aside for Allah would reach their associate-gods. How evil is what they judge!
Allah is a big and powerful god who could have stopped these other gods from causing their worshippers to murder their children, but didn’t.
6:137 And likewise, their associate-gods have insinuated to them the killing of their children, so as to destroy them and confound them in their religion. Had Allah pleased they would not have done it. So leave them (Meccans to whom Muhammad preached) to their fabrications.
These other gods would tell you what you can and cannot eat (for Allah’s full menu, see Chapter “You Are What You Eat”).
6:138 And they (other gods) say: "These cattle and tilth (crops) are taboo, and none shall eat them except those we wish," as they claim. And there are cattle whose backs are forbidden, and others over which they do not mention the Name of Allah. Such is their fabrication about Him. [But] He will punish them for their lies.
6:139 And they say: “What is in the bellies of these cattle is lawful to our males, but forbidden to our wives. If it is still-born both can share it.” [Allah] will punish them for what they attribute [to Him]. He is surely Wise, All-Knowing.
These other gods, which Allah admits creating—or is it those who associated them with Allah? Moududi offers no comments—lack “hands to smite with,” along with other organs and appendages.
7:191 Do they associate with Allah those who can create nothing, while they, themselves, are created?
7:192 And they can neither help them nor help themselves.
7:193 And if you call them to guidance, they do not follow you. It is the same, for you, whether you call them or you remain silent.
7:194 Indeed those you call, apart from Allah, are servants like you; so call them and let them answer you, if you are truthful.
7:195 Do they have feet to walk with; do they have hands to smite with; do they have eyes to see with; or do they have ears to hear with? Say (O Muhammad): “Call your associate-gods, then plot against me and give me no respite.”
7:196 My protector is Allah who sent down the Book and He protects the righteous.
It is more or less clear, in the following revelations, that Allah is referring to physical representations of these other gods in carvings and paintings.
7:197 And those you call, apart from Him, are not able to help you or even to help themselves.
7:198 If you call them to the guidance they do not hear; and you see them look at you, but they do not see.
Followers of “conjecture” and liars!
10:66 Indeed, to Allah belongs whoever is in the heavens or on the earth. Those who call upon others, apart from Allah, do not follow any associate. They only follow conjecture and they are only lying.
That Muhammad only worshipped Allah, and not the gods of those whom he hoped to convince to do the same, goes without saying.
10:104 Say: “O people, if you are in doubt regarding my religion, [know that] I worship not those you worship, apart from Allah; but I worship Allah who causes you to die, and I have been commanded to be one of the believers.”
10:105 And [it was said to me]: “Set your face towards religion, in an upright way, and do not be one of the polytheists.”
10:106 “And do not call, apart from Allah, on anything which neither profits nor harms you. If you do, you are then one of the wrongdoers.”
10:107 And If Allah afflicts you with adversity, none can lift it other than He; and if He wills any good for you, none can bar His Bounty. He will accord it to whomever He pleases of His servants and He is the All-Forgiving, the Merciful.
Allah challenged unbelievers to name those “they set up as associates.” Some must have done so in order for Muhammad, on Allah’s behalf, to ask whether they are informing God “about what He does not know on earth.”
13:33 Is he, then, Who watches every soul, noting what it earns [like one who does not]? Yet they set up associates with Allah. Say: “Name them. Are you informing Him about what He does not know on earth, or is it an outward speech only.” Rather the cunning of the unbelievers is embellished to them and they are kept away from the Path. Those whom Allah leads astray will have no one to guide them.
13:34 Theirs is punishment in the present life, but the punishment of the Hereafter is much harder; and they will have no one to protect them from Allah.
Enjoy yourselves setting up equals to Allah; the Fire will always be there.
14:30 And they set up equals to Allah in order to lead people away from His Path. Say: “Take your pleasure; for your fate is the Fire.”
At the end of another unavoidable list of all He has created or caused to happen, such as the rain to fall and plants to grow, Allah again admits to creating these other gods who can’t create anything.
16:9 It belongs to Allah to show the Straight Path; some, however, deviate from it. Had Allah pleased He would have guided you all.
16:10 It is He who sends down water from the sky; from it you drink, and through it grow the plants on which you feed your cattle.
16:11 From it He brings forth for you vegetation, olives, palms, vines and all kinds of fruit. In that, surely, there is a sign for a people who reflect.
16:12 And He has subjected to you the night and the day, the sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected by His Command. In that there are signs for a people who understand.
16:13 And what He created for you in the earth is of multifarious colours; in that there is, surely, a sign for people who are mindful.
16:14 And it is He Who subjected the sea, so that you may eat from it tender meat and bring out from it jewelry for you to wear; and you see the ships cruising therein. [He subjected it for you] so that you may also seek His Bounty and give thanks.
16:15 And He laid up in the earth firm mountains, lest it shake under you; as well as rivers and pathways that, perchance, you may be guided.
16:16 And He [laid] landmarks; and by the stars they are guided.
16:17 Now, is He Who creates like him who does not create? Do you not take heed?
16:18 Were you to count Allah’s Blessings, you will not exhaust them. Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Merciful.
16:19 And Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal.
16:20 Those they call upon, apart from Allah, do not create anything, but are themselves created.
Perhaps they cannot do what Allah easily does because He created them stillborn. Unless, of course, they did not share the most elementary characteristic of gods that is immortality and have since passed away.
16:21 [They are] dead, not alive, and they do not know when they will be raised from the dead.
Allah ends this series about other gods with His next favourite topic: the Hereafter.
16:22 Your God is One God; those, then, who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts deny and they are arrogant.
16:23 Undoubtedly, Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Indeed, He does not like the arrogant.
Any blessings you receive are from Allah; other gods had nothing to do with it, so don’t go thanking them or sharing a blessing of food with them.
16:53 Whatever blessing you have is from Allah. Then, if adversity touches you, unto Him you turn for help.
16:54 Then, once He lifts the adversity from you, behold, some of you associate [other gods] with their Lord;
16:55 So as to deny what We gave them. Enjoy yourselves then, for soon you shall know.
Is Allah swearing by Allah?
16:56 And they set apart, for what they know not (their idols), a portion of what We have provided for them. By Allah, you will be questioned about what you fabricated.
The Devil has authority only over those who are his friends and who associate other gods with Allah.
16:98 When you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Devil.
16:99 He has no authority over those who believe and have put their trust in their Lord.
16:100 His authority is only over those who befriend him and who associate others with Him (Allah).
The “despised and forsaken”:
17:22 Do not set up another god with Allah, lest you be despised and forsaken.
Wisdom is not setting up rivals to Allah.
17:39 That is part of what your Lord has revealed to you of wisdom. Do not set up with Allah another god, or else you will be cast in Hell, despised and rejected.
If there were any other gods, they would surely have sought an audience with the one sitting on the Throne.
17:42 Say: “If there were other gods with Him, as they say, then surely they would have sought access to the Lord of the Throne.”
Run into trouble at sea and these other gods you call upon will desert you. It is Allah who will save you; but don’t forget to thank Him.
17:66 Your Lord who drives for you the ships at sea, that you may seek His Bounty. He is indeed Merciful to you.
17:67 And if you are touched by adversity at sea, those you call upon other than He will wander away; but when He delivers you to land safely, you turn away. Man is ever thankless.
17:68 Are you, then, assured that He will not cause the land to cave in under you, or release a sandstorm upon you, and then you will find no one to protect you?
17:69 Or are you assured that He will not return you to it a second time, releasing upon you a roaring wind and drowning you, on account of your disbelief. Then you will find no one to defend you against us.
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Then there are the aggressive ungrateful people, whom He saves from drowning and provides with a safe landing only to have them resort to unjustified violence.
10:22 It is He who makes your journey on land and on sea; so that when you are in the ships and they sail with them driven by a fair wind, and they rejoice in it, a stormy wind comes upon them and waves surge over them from every side, and they think that they are being overwhelmed. Then they call upon Allah, professing submission to Him sincerely: “If you save us from this, we shall be truly thankful.”
10:23 But when He saves them, they resort to aggression in the land wrongfully. O people, your aggression shall recoil upon yourselves. It is what you enjoy in the present life; then unto Us shall be your return; whereupon We will inform you about what you were doing.
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No, the angels have not “taken to themselves gods out of the earth, able to raise the dead.”
21:19 To Him belongs what is in the heavens and on earth; and those with Him (the angels) are not too proud to worship Him, nor do they tire;
21:20 Glorifying Him night and day without growing weary.
21:21 Or have they taken to themselves gods out of the earth, able to raise the dead?
If Allah had encountered any other gods, in heaven or on Earth, He would have ruined them.
21:22 Were there in them both (heaven and earth) other gods than Allah, they would surely have been ruined. Allah be exalted, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.
21:23 He is not questioned about what He does, but they are questioned.
The Koran and the Torah, “the Reminder of those before me,” is God’s proof that He is the one and only. Where is your evidence that He is not?
21:24 Or, have they taken, besides Him, other gods? Say (O Muhammad): “Bring your proof.” This is the Reminder (the Qur’an) of those with me and the Reminder of those before me. However, most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away.
God’s justification for condoning lethal merciless revenge upon another human being (see pertinent revelations in Jihad in the Koran: “Emigrating in the Cause of Allah - Someone’s Gotta Die,” Boreal Books) may cause a layperson to shake his or her head at the reasons why.
22:61 That is because Allah causes the night to pass into the day and the day to pass into the night, and that Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
22:62 That is because Allah is the Truth and what they call upon besides Him (other gods) is the falsehood; and that Allah is the Exalted, the Great One.
You need a permit from Allah (Revelation 22:71) to worship these other gods of which you are clueless.
22:68 And if they dispute with you, say: “Allah knows best what you are doing.”
22:69 Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, regarding what you disagree about.
22:70 Do you not know that Allah knows what is in the heavens and on earth. All that is in a Book; and that is an easy matter for Allah.
22:71 And they worship, besides Allah, that concerning which He did not send down any authority, and of which they have no knowledge. The wrongdoers shall have no supporter.
22:72 And when Our Clear revelations are recited to them, you will recognize in the face of the unbelievers the denial. They will almost fall upon those who recite to them Our Revelations. Say: “Shall I tell you about what is worse than that? It is the Fire which Allah has promised the unbelievers; and what a wretched fate!”
That darn child again along with acquisitive and quarrelsome other gods.
23:91 Allah did not take to Himself a child and there was never another god with Him; or else each god would have carried off what he has created, and some of them would have risen against the others. Exalted be Allah above what they describe!
23:92 Knower of the unseen and the Seen; He is exalted above what they associate.
Jesus among the “gods who do not create anything”:
THE CRITERION
25 Al-Furqân
In the Name of Allah,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
25:1 Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion (a way to distinguish right from wrong) upon His servant (Muhammad), so as to be a warner for all mankind.
25:2 To whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and He has not taken to Himself a child, and has no associate in this dominion, and He created everything, preordaining it fully.
25:3 Yet they have taken, apart from Him, other gods who do not create anything, but are themselves created. They do not have the power to harm or profit themselves, nor the power over death, life or resurrection.
Another reminder that worshipping other gods means you are a partisan of Satan and have always been.
25:55 They worship, apart from Allah, what neither profits nor harms them; and the unbeliever have always been a partisan (of Satan) against his Lord.
Allah is the only god who could have brought you daylight and the night to rest in.
28:71 Say: “Have you considered, what if Allah had made the night to last for you continuously until the Day of Resurrection? What other god than Allah will bring you light? Do you not hear?”
28:72 Say: “Have you considered, what if Allah had made the day to last for you continuously until the Day of Resurrection? What other god than Allah will bring the night to rest in? Do you not see?”
28:73 It was out of His Mercy that He created the day and the night, so that you may rest in it and seek some of His Bounty, that perchance you may give thanks.
Allah’s Earth may be vast, but it is still not vast enough for more than one god.
29:56 O my servants who believe and do the righteous deeds, My earth is vast, so worship Me alone.
Even if they don’t run into trouble at sea after invoking Allah’s Name upon embarking, when disembarking they give credit to Allah and alleged associates for a safe journey.
29:65 When they embark in the ships, they will call on Allah, professing religion sincerely to Him. Yet when He delivers them safely to land, behold they associate (other gods with Him).
29:66 To disbelieve in what We have imparted to them and enjoy themselves. They will surely come to know.
29:67 Do they not see that We have set up a safe sanctuary for them while, all around them people are being snatched away? Do they, then, believe in falsehood and repudiate Allah’s Bounty?
29:68 Who, then, is more unjust than one who imputes falsehood to Allah or denies the truth when it comes to him. Is there not in Hell a dwelling for the unbelievers?
29:69 And those who strive in Our Cause We shall guide in Our Ways, and Allah is with the Beneficent.
Mercy is from Allah, not from these other gods.
30:33 When people are visited by some adversity, they call upon their Lord, turning to Him; but when He lets them taste a mercy from Him, behold, a group of them associate [other gods] with their Lord;
30:34 So as to be ungrateful for what We have given them. Indulge yourselves, then. For you shall certainly know!
30:35 Or have We sent down to them an authority, and he (?) speaks about that which they were associating with Him?
Yet another revelation that Allah is the only god able to cause you to die and then bring you back to life.
30:40 It is Allah who created you, then provided for you and Who will cause you to die, then bring you back to life. Is there among your associates any one (sic) who does any of this? Glory be to Him and may He be exalted above what they associate with Him.
That there is night and day—for which He repeatedly takes credit and often uses to discredit other gods—obviously fascinates Allah.
31:29 Have you not seen how Allah causes the night to phase into the day, and the day to phase into the night; and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each of them running to an appointed term, and that Allah is Well-Aware of what you do?
31:30 That is because Allah is the Truth and what they call upon, apart from Him, is the falsehood and that Allah is the All-High, the Great.
These other gods possess no share of either Paradise or the Earth, nor are they involved in their management.
34:22 Say: “Call upon those you allege, apart from Allah. They do not possess the weight of a speck of dust in the heavens or on earth, and they have no partnership in either of them; nor is any of them a helper to him."
Don’t let these other gods divert you from “the Truth.”
35:2 Whatever mercy Allah accords to mankind, none of them will be able to withhold; and whatever He withholds, none will be able to release thereafter. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.
35:3 O people, remember Allah’s Grace upon you. Is there a creator other than Allah, providing for you from heaven and earth? There is no god but He; how then will you be diverted (deluded away from the Truth, Yusuf Ali)?
Still another reminder that those who “do not possess a date’s crust” could not have made night and day, nor could they make the sun and moon run on time.
35:13 He causes the night to phase into the day and the day to phase into the night and He has subjected the sun and the moon, each running for an appointed term. That is Allah, your Lord to whom belongs the dominion, whereas those you call upon, from Him, do not possess a date’s crust.
These other gods are not only creators of nothing, they are not "in possession" of a book containing the proof of what they advance.
35:40 Say: “Have you seen your associates upon whom you call, apart from Allah? Show me what they have created on earth? Do they have any share in the heavens, or have We given them a Book, so that they are in possession of a clear proof therein? In fact, the wrongdoers only promise each other vanity.”
Allah sent down the Koran, not these other gods, and that is the truth, so worship Him.
THE TRONGS
39 Az-Zumar
In the Name of Allah,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
39:1 The sending down of the Book is from Allah, the All-Mighty, the Wise.
39:2 We have, indeed, sent down the Book to you in truth; so worship Allah professing the religion sincerely to Him.
Many worshipped these lesser or associate gods for the same reason some people worship saints: that they might intercede on their behalf with the top god. Their intent might have been well-meaning, but to Allah they were thankless liars.
39:3 Sincere religion truly belongs to Allah. Those who took other protectors, apart from Him, say: “We only worship them so as to bring us closer to Allah in rank.” Allah surely judges between them with respect to what they differ upon. Allah surely does not guide him who is a thankless liar.
If Allah confers some grace on you, don’t assign equals to His Magnificence, for God’s sake! We can’t say it often enough, and neither can Allah.
39:8 If some adversity touches man, he will call upon his Lord, repenting unto Him; then, if He confers on him grace of His, he forgets what he was calling for before that and assigns equals to Allah, so as to lead others astray from His Path. Say: “Enjoy your disbelief a little; for you are truly one of the companions of the Fire.”
Allah challenges these other gods, in Revelation 39:19, to deliver those “upon whom the Word of punishment has been uttered … from the Fire.”
39:17 Those who shunned the worship of idols and turned in repentance unto Allah, theirs is the good news. “Announce, then, the good news to My servants.”
39:18 Those who hear the Word and follow the fairest of it; those are the ones whom Allah has guided and those are the people of understanding!
39:19 He upon whom the Word of punishment has been uttered, are you able to deliver from the Fire?
These would-be intercessors are clueless and have no power to intercede. Allah can intercede with Himself.
39:43 Or have they taken intercessors, apart from Allah? Say: “Even if they have no power whatever and no understanding.”
39:44 Say: “To Allah belongs all intercession. His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Then unto Him you will be returned.”
If size does matter (Revelation 39:67), those other gods don’t stand a chance.
39:62 Allah is the Creator of everything and He is the Guardian of everything.
39:63 His are the keys of the heavens and the earth; and those who have disbelieved in Allah’s Signs are the losers.
39:64 Say: “Do you, then, command me to worship anyone other than Allah, O ignorant ones?”
39:65 He has in fact revealed to you (Muhammad) and those who preceded you: “If you associate any others with Allah, He will frustrate your work and you will certainly be one of the losers.”
39:66 Instead, worship Allah and be one of the thankful.
39:67 They have not recognized Allah’s true measure. The whole earth shall be in His grasp and the heavens shall be rolled up in His Right Hand on the Day of Resurrection. Glory be to Him, and may He be exalted above what they associate with Him.
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Narrated Abdullah:
A (Jewish) Rabbi came to Allah's Apostle and he said, "O Muhammad! We learn that Allah will put all the heavens on one finger, and the earths on one finger, and the trees on one finger, and the water and the dust on one finger, and all the other created beings on one finger. Then He will say, 'I am the King.'"
Thereupon the Prophet smiled so that his pre-molar teeth became visible, and that was the confirmation of the Rabbi.
Then Allah's Apostle recited: "No just estimate have they made of Allah such as due to Him." (39.67)
Bukhari 60.335
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Again, these other gods are judges of nothing!
40:20 Allah judges rightly, but those upon whom they call, apart from Him, judge of naught. Allah is the All-hearing, the All-Seeing.
No—Allah, in Revelation 43:45, is not asking Muhammad to travel back in time, but telling His illiterate spokesperson to consult what earlier messengers revealed: that there is no god other than Allah.
43:44 And it (the Qur’an) is surely a Reminder to you and to your people; and you shall be questioned.
43:45 Ask those of Our Messengers We sent before you: “Have We ever set up, apart from the All-Compassionate, any other gods to be worshipped?”
“Is there, then, another god with Allah?”
27:59 Say: “Praise be to Allah and peace upon those of His servants whom He has chosen. Is Allah better or those they associate with Him?”
27:60 Is He not the One Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down upon you water from the sky; and so We caused to grow thereby delightful gardens. It was not in your power to cause their trees to grow. Is there, then, another god with Allah? Yet, they are a people who assign to Him an equal.
27:61 Is He not the One Who made the earth a stable abode and created rivers flowing through it, created immovable mountains therein and created a barrier between the two seas. Is there, then, another god with Allah? Yet, most of them do not know.
27:62 It is He who answers the one in trouble when he calls upon Him and lifts the adversity and appoints you as successors on earth. Is there, then, another god with Allah? Little do you recollect.
27:63 He who guides you through the dark shadows of land and sea, and sends forth the wind as good news ahead of His Mercy. Is there, then, another god with Allah? No, He is exalted above what they associate!
27:64 He Who originates the creation, then brings it back, and Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth. Is there, then, another god with Allah? Say: “Produce your proof, if you are truthful.”
These other gods, like everyone and everything else, know nothing of the Unseen and "when they shall be resuscitated."
27:65 Say: “No one in the heavens or on earth knows the Unseen, except Allah; and they will have no inkling when they shall be resuscitated.
According to islamicstudies.info, at one point these other gods, like everyone else, had some knowledge of the Hereafter but then abandoned their studies and now are clueless.
27:66 Has their knowledge of the Hereafter continued? Nay, they are in doubt regarding it, or rather, they are blind to it.
Goddesses and the Fathers Who Worshipped Them
43:15 They have attributed to Him part of His servants. Man is indeed manifestly thankless.
43:16 Or has He taken for Himself daughters from what He creates, and favoured you with sons?
43:17 And when one of them is given the news of what he attributes the likes thereof (that is, daughters), to the All-Compassionate, his face becomes darkened and he is filled with gloom.
43:18 What, (assigned to God) one who is brought up in luxury but in the art of disputation is not well-versed?
43:19 And they have made the angels, who are servants of the All-Compassionate, females. What, have they witnessed their creation? Surely, their testimony will be written down and they will be questioned.
43:20 They say: “If the All-Compassionate had willed it, we would not have worshipped them.”[52] They have no knowledge of that at all; they are only lying.
43:21 Or have We given them a Book prior to this one (the Qur’an), so that they are clinging to it?
The pagan Arabs of Mecca worshipped what their ancestors worshipped, and their ancestors displayed none of Allah’s biases against worshipping females.
43:22 No, they say: “We found our fathers upon this course, and we are actually following in their footsteps.”
43:23 Likewise, We never sent forth a warner to any city before you (Muhammad), but its affluent chiefs have said: “We have found our fathers upon a certain course, and we are actually following in their footsteps."
43:24 He said: “What if I were to bring you a more certain guidance than what you found your fathers upon?” They said: “We are definitely disbelievers in what you were sent forth with.”
43:25 So, We wrecked vengeance upon them. Behold, then, what was the fate then of those who deny.
Abraham’s father probably had no qualms about worshipping goddesses either.
43:26 When Abraham said to his father and his people: “I am certainly quit of what you worship;
43:27 “Except for Him Who created me. He will certainly guide me well.”
43:28 And he made it an enduring word in his progeny, that perchance they might repent.
(See Shared Prophets – Biblical Figures in the Koran, Boreal Books for often surreal stories about the prophets from the Bible, including Jesus, whom Allah recalls largely as a mean to bolster His claim to being the One-and Only. Also, see The Islamic Hereafter: Judgement Day, Boreal Books for even more invectives against these other gods and those who worshipped or associated them with the All-Compassionate judge before He sentences them to burn in Hell for an eternity.)
Parents Who Worship Other Gods Are Not to Be Obeyed
29:8 We have commanded man to be kind to his parents; but if they strive with you to associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them. Unto Me is your return and I will tell you what you used to do.
29:9 Those who believe and do the righteous deeds, We shall admit them into the company of the righteous.
Luqmân is a legendary figure in Islamic lore. He is regarded as a paragon of wisdom. Luqmân had some familiar advice for his son about "a mighty evil."
31:12 We have, indeed, imparted wisdom to Luqmân: “Give thanks to Allah.” Whoever gives thanks, gives thanks only for his own good and whoever disbelieves will find Allah All-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.”
31:13 And when Luqmân said to his son exhorting him: “My son, do not associate others with Allah; associating others [with Allah] is a mighty evil.”
Allah would interrupt Luqmân with some advice of his own.
31:14 We have admonished man regarding his parents; as his mother bore him in weakness upon weakness, weaning him in two years: “Give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the ultimate return.
31:15 “If they strive with you so as to associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them; but keep them company in the present world honourably. Follow the path of those who turn to Me. Then unto Me is your return, whereupon I will tell you what you used to do.”
Luqmân again:
31:16 “O my son, if there be the weight of a mustard seed, whether in a rock, in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Surely, Allah is Subtle, Well-Informed.
31:17 “Oh my son, perform the prayer, command the honourable and forbid the dishonourable and bear patiently what has befallen you. That is an instance of constancy in one’s affairs.
31:18 “Do not turn your face away from people and do not walk in the land haughtily. Allah does not love any arrogant or boastful person.
31:19 “Be modest in your stride and lower your voice; for the most hideous voices is that of asses.”
Judgement Day
On Judgement Day, these ephemeral gods and goddesses will be mustered by the Compassionate, and one and all will deny they were ever worshipped by those they now consider their enemies.
THE SAND-DUNES
46 Al-Ahqâf
In the Name of Allah,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
46:1 Ha – Mim.
46:2 This is the revelation of the Book from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
46:3 We have not created the heavens and the earth and what is in between them except in truth and for an appointed term. Yet the unbelievers do not heed what they were warned against.
46:4 Say: “Have you considered what you call upon, apart from Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth, or whether they have a share of the heavens? Bring me a Book before this one or some vestige of knowledge, if you are truthful?”
46:5 Who is farther astray than he who calls, apart from Allah, upon him who does not answer his call till the Day of Resurrection? They are even heedless of their calling.
46:6 And when people are mustered, they will be their enemies, and even their worship they will disclaim.
A Transcending Obsession
In this chapter I have presented revelations highlighting Allah’s obsession with alleged competing deities, deities which some claim help God manage His affairs, the so-called “associates” of His Omnipotence. To do so would have disrupted other narratives or led to unnecessary duplications of revelations in other books in this series like The Islamic Hereafter in which Allah's anger and pathological obsession with these ephemeral gods, whom He will sentence, along with those who followed them, to an eternity on fire after a rigorous excoriating interrogation, finds its fullest expression.
Then there is Shared Prophets—Biblical Figures in the Koran: What They Said and Did where revelations tell the story of how the prophets from the Torah attempted to make Allah’s case that He is the one and only God with more promise of death and destruction like that found in the Chapter “Allah Days” if those to whom they bring the Message don’t stop believing in other gods. Even Jesus makes an appearance, during which he lambasts those who claim he is the son of God.
This incessant drumming into the conscious and subconscious of readers as soon as they can mouth the words (see Children and the Koran, Boreal Books)— that unbelievers have no place in the perfect world envisioned by the Koran where only the Author is deserving of worship and everyone lives and dies according to the Book—should not be taken lightly. It is a concern to which I will return in the last book in this series From Merchant to Messenger: The Prophet Muhammad’s struggle for legitimacy as revealed in the Koran, (Boreal Books).
What about the Devil?
Revelations about the Devil, i.e., Satan, the typical nemesis of most gods, are not as numerous as those against Allah’s apparent competition and their supporters. Allah does not fear him. The Devil is mostly used to demonise those who worship other gods or who associate other gods with His Omnipotence.
2:257 Allah is the Supporter of the believers. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their supporters are the devils who bring them out of light into darkness. Those are the people of the Fire in which they shall abide forever.
The only time we can be sure that Allah is not confusing the Devil with the jinn is when He refers to the one He does not fear as Satan.
2:268 Satan induces you to expect poverty and orders you to be niggardly, and Allah promises you His Forgiveness and His Bounty. Allah is Munificent, All-Knowing.
If you are an unbeliever and a show-off, you are the Devil’s companion.
4:38 And for those who spent their wealth in order to show off, and do not believe in Allah and the Last Day. He who has the Devil as a companion, an evil companion has he!
A reference to the Devil as being an object of worship by the Jews:
5:60 Say: “Shall I tell you about those who will get a worse punishment from Allah? Those whom Allah cursed and on whom He poured forth His Wrath, transformed them into monkeys and swine , and worshippers of the Devil. They are worse off and farther astray.”
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With Medina secure from further attacks from the Meccans after the Battle of the Ditch (see Jihad in the Koran: “Massacre of the Banu Qurayzah,” Boreal Books), Muhammad moved against the Banu Qurayzah, a Jewish tribe whose leaders are said to have plotted with the Meccans during the Battle of the Ditch. When he neared their fortification, he called out to the defenders: “O brothers of monkeys and pigs! Fear me, fear me.” The simian reference would make its way into the Koran as a persistent reminder of the perfidy of the Jews and an incitement for future generations of the righteous.
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If you take devils for patrons you might think you are being rightly guided, but you would be wrong.
7:30 “A group of you He has guided and another group was doomed to error; for they have taken the devils for patrons, apart from Allah, and they still think that they are rightly guided.”
What you must do if the Devil tempts you—and you’d better hope your brethren don’t interfere.
7:199 Hold to forgiveness, enjoin the good and turn away from the ignorant.
7:200 And if a temptation from the Devil troubles you, seek refuge in Allah; He is truly All Hearing, All-Knowing.
7:201 Indeed, those who fear God, when a visitation from the Devil afflicts them, will remember [Allah’s Commands], and behold they will see clearly.
7:202 But their brethren will plunge them further into error, and [then] they will not desist.
Those who dispute with Allah have the Devil for a friend.
22:3 And there are some people who dispute regarding Allah without any knowledge, and follow every rebellious devil.
22:4 It has been written against him (the Devil) that whoever takes him for a friend, he will lead astray and guide him to the punishment of Hell.
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[52] “Here, the folly of the polytheists of Arabia has been fully exposed. They said that the angels were the daughters of Allah. They had carved out their images as females, and these were their goddesses whom they worshipped.” Moududi