 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
Bismi Allah (In the Name of Allah) Part 2 (a) Published on February 13, 2007 Who is Allah? � (i)
A brief history of Allah A shadowy ineffable deity, Allah was not represented by any image, nor did he enjoy popular cult adoration, as did the lesser gods and goddesses. To distinguish him from the other gods, he was given the title of Allah Taala, �God Most High� (Walker, 2004, p. 42). Besides Allah and other Gods, the Nabateans also worshipped two other gods (probably lesser to Allah), namely; ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim. Both ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim were devoutly worshipped together in conjunction with honor and prestige. The Qur�an, surprisingly, retains the names of these two Pagan deities, though claiming that these two names belong to Allah. The very first sura of the Qur�an (sura Fatiha) mentions these two names, just during the beginning. Furthermore, sura 19 (sura Maryam) is dominated by the names of these two deities. According to Professor Hitti, the Pagan Nabateans of north Arabia first introduced ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim probably from southern Syria. Later these two names of Pagan gods found their place in the pantheons of South Arabian temples (Hitti, 2002, p. 105). Muhammad�s competitor, Maslama (or Musaylima) preached in the name of ar-Rahman, the south Arabian Allah (Rodinson, 2002, p. 67, 119). This could probably be the reason why Muhammad, later abandoned ar-Rahman and adopted the Allah of the Meccan Pagans as his only God. According to Arab historians, Petra (north Arabia, close to Syria, the home of the Nabateans), had a kind of Ka�ba with Dushara (Dusares), worshipped under the form of a black rectangular stone, at the head of the pantheon (Hitti, 2002, p. 72).
This very short history
of Allah is not complete without Jehovah (Yahwa), the Allah of Moses
(read the description of
Jehovah depicted in a German coin). Islam claims Moses worshipped the
same Allah as the Muslims. If the Qur�an is true then simple logic says:
Jehovah = Allah. As for the Jewish Rabb, Muhammad had his version too: his Allah is also known as ar-Rab�the Lord, the Sustainer, the Supreme: �Allah is my Lord and your Lord (3:51)�; �Our Lord (Rabb) is the Lord (Rabb) of the heavens and the earth (18:14); occupies the place of Hebrew Jehovah (Hughes, 1994, p. 531). The Bedouin Arabs� primary concern was with the moon Allah, their supreme deity and His daughters, Allat, Uzza and Manat. As explicated before, the moon is the central religious theme in a pastoral society. The illiterate, half�starved and ill-informed Bedouin Arabs associated the moon with strength, vitality, force, power and everything to do with masculinity. As such, the moon (and Allah) was really a male God; there should be very little doubt on this (you will read more on this later). So, how about the sun? Had the sun any position as god in the Pagan society? The answer is yes. The Bedouins also worshipped a sun god. Its name was Baal. Curiously, the Syrians and the Phoenicians also worshipped Baal�Lord, an idol. It is believed that Baal was worshipped in the days of Prophet Elisha (Hughes, 1004, p. 35). The Egyptians adopted Baal as their Lord (or sun Allah). Baal (see Baal here) was represented as a man with pointed beard and with horned helmet. He was a god of war, sky, storm, fertility and good harvest. In Qur�an we find the mention of Baal when Prophet Elias admonished his people for worshipping Baal (the sun Allah), instead of the moon Allah, the best of creators (37:125). A contradictory version of the sun god is that the sun was a goddess, called Shams (Rodinson, 2002, p. 23). Oddly, there is a sura in the Qur�an (sura 91, a Meccan sura) whose title is Shams or the Sun. Muhammad clearly preferred Shams to Baal, the Egyptian sun god. Not surprisingly though, there is also a sura in the Qur�an titled Qamar or the moon (sura 54, a Meccan sura). Why Muhammad had a profound dislike for the sun Allah, Baal? The answer is quite simple. The sun is the principal source of an agricultural society. Therefore, it is natural that an agricultural society will adopt the sun Allah, Baal as its principal deity. That was why, Egypt, an agrarian society adopted Baal. Muhammad, who belonged to a pastoral society, was not interested in agriculture (more on this later)�so, why should he bother about Baal? Thus, Baal, the sun Allah was not that popular in Muhammad�s Arabia. Clearly, the Meccan Pagans were very familiar with their moon Allah (read more on this below). They were so used to their moon Allah that they practiced to divide their offerings of crops to Allah and other idols, like: Ammanas in the Khaulan country (6.136) (ibn Ishaq, 2001, p. 37). It was a customary religious system for the Pagan Arabs that they had practiced for generations. Then Muhammad started preaching, exhorting the Meccan Quraysh to worship Allah only (kind of only Allah�s monotheism). Muhammad had now his own version of Allah, which the Pagan Arabs found very confusing and distressing. He started admonishing them for sharing their crop with other deities besides Allah, Muhammad�s variety of Allah, to be specific. But the Meccan Quraysh were tolerant. They let Muhammad preach whatever he wished. The trouble came when Muhammad wanted to hit the Quraysh�s principal source of revenue, the pilgrimage and the tourism which were closely connected with the visit of their pantheon of many gods and goddesses. The Meccan Pagans even had the images of Abraham, Jesus and Mary�just to attract Christian and Jewish tourists. During Muhammad�s time, according to Phillip Hitti, the eminent Arab historian, Mecca had a colony of Abyssinian Christians (Hitti, 2002, p. 106). Thus Mecca pilgrimage-tourism was a great source of income (Ibid, p. 64). In the beginning, the Meccan Pagans did not want to disrupt severely their flourishing tourism�s attractiveness by creating anarchy with Muhammad�s followers. Despite Muhammad�s harangues and tirades they left him alone. Even the eminent historian al-Tabari admits that Muhammad had very little sufferings from the Meccan Pagans. According to Tabari, Muhammad�s followers were largely young men, some of whom were sons and younger brothers of the leading merchants. Muhammad had very little suffering in the hands of the Quraysh, apart from little annoyance. Abu Talib�s (Muhammad�s uncle) protection had saved Muhammad from personal harassment (Tabari, 1988, p. 6.43).
The main reason for the
opposition of Muhammad was the requirement of generosity which would
diminish the profit of the greedy Meccan merchants. These merchants also
felt that Muhammad was probably threatening their political control of the
Meccan affairs. The Quraysh were not particularly hostile to Muhammad until
he mentioned their idols. In particular, the rejection of Allat, one of the
daughters of Allah, affected the business of Taif merchants (Ibid, pp. 6.42,
43). This question will infuriate many diehard believers of Islam. But historical evidences, especially epigraphical proof is too compelling to reject. From the cuneiform writings of the Sumerian (of Babylon), it stands out that Allah did have a consort (a wife, perhaps) and her name was Lilith. The conjecture is that Allat was the product of union of Allah and Lilith. Allat resembled Lilith, her mother, who is depicted in the Sumerian epigraphs with two huge breasts and a gigantic vulva. Phillip Hitti, in his authoritative book, History of the Arabs shows the image of Allat in a bronze coin of the Nabateans (Hitti, 2002, p. 86). This image of Allat has the striking resemblance of the goddess Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning. It is also possible that the other two daughters of Allah; namely; Uzza and Manat were from Lilith, or possibly from other concubines of Allah. These goddesses are referred to in the Qur�an as the daughters (Satanic verses, 53:19‑20) of Allah. When Muhammad was utterly disappointed with the meager success of his mission, he sought reconciliation with the Pagan Quraysh. He extolled these three daughters of Allah and wanted their exalted blessing. However, Muhammad was quick to recognize his folly and claimed that all Prophets, at times, were inspired by the Satan. Then he cancelled those verses from the Qur�an. Those verses were 15:19‑23. Let us read the verses, as they are currently in the Qur�an:
015.019
We might wonder: these verses have nothing to do with Allat, Uzza or Manat. How could they be called satanic verses? The answer to this enigma is that these are the latest verses which Muhammad had implanted in the Qur�an after Allah rebuked him for being under the influence of Satan. Muhammad duly complied with Allah�s instruction. He replaced the original verses with these new verses. So what were the original verses?�we might be curious to know. According to William Montgomery Watt, one of the most distinguished writers of Muhammad�s biography and Islamic history, the original verses of 15:19‑23 ran thus (Watt, 1999, p.21; also see ibn Ishaq, 2001, pp. 165‑166):
Have you considered Allat and al-�Uzza Hisham al-Kalbi, the author, of Kitab al-Asnam (The Book of Idols), writes about these three daughters of Allah: Allat: She stood in al-Taif. She was more recent than Manah. She was a cubic rock. �Attab ibn Malik of the Thaqif was her keeper. They built an edifice over her. The Quraysh and all Arabs used to worship her and name their children after her. She stood on the left side of the present mosque at Taif. Verse 53:19 mentions her. Mughirah ibn Shu�bab destroyed her and burnt her temple to the ground. Ibn‑Hajar, swearing by Allah said, �By Allat and �Uzza and those who in them believe, and by Allah verily He is greater than both� (ibn al�Kalbi, 1952, p. 15).
Uzza:
Uzza is more recent than Allat or Manah. The Arabs named their children
after her.
By Allat and al-Uzza,
These verses were
abrogated and replaced by verses
53:19�20 and
17:75�76. Al-Uzza had a place of sacrifice called al-Ghabghab. Arabs used to sacrifice cattle there. After sacrifice they used to divide the meat among those present at the ceremony. The Quraysh venerated her above all other idols (ibn al�Kalbi, 1952, p. 17). Having watched a Television documentary on the ruins of Arabia Petra, situated at north-western Saudi Arabia, it is my conjecture that the Meccan goddess Uzza probably resembled Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction.
Manah (alternative
spelling of Manat): It was the most ancient idol. The Arabs named
their children after it. She was at Qudayd, between Medina and Mecca. They
used to sacrifice before her�particularly Aws and Khazraj as well as the
inhabitants of Medina and Mecca. At the end of pilgrimage, when about to
return home, people would set out to the place of Manah, shave their heads
and stay there for a while. The pilgrimage was not complete until they
visited Manah. God is the Lord of the galaxies (Alpha Sirius, the brightest star visible from earth)�53:49
053.049
In a foot note on this verse, Abdullah Yusuf Ali writes: The tenth aphorism refers to a mighty phenomenon of nature, the magnificent star Sirius, which is such a prominent object in the skies, in the early part of the solar year, say from January to April. It is the brightest star in the firmament and its bluish light causes wonder and terror in Pagan minds. The Pagan Arabs worshipped it as a divinity. But God is the Lord, Creator and Cherisher, of the most magnificent part of creation, and worship is due Him alone (Ali, 1983, p. 1450, foot note 5119).
The learned Abdullah Yususf Ali probably wanted
to avoid the embarrassing truth. Nowhere in the Arab history tell us that
the Meccans were scared of the appearance of the star Sirius. They always
thought of Sirius as a goddess, just as they thought of the moon as the god
Allah. It was Muhammad who wanted to twist their long-held belief.
Allat,
identified by Herodotus with Aphrodite Urania, was the chief female deity.
That is, Allat was the Arabic version of the Greek goddess Aphrodite Urania
(Hitti, 2002, p. 72). Al-Uzza was the counterpart of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. A son of al-Harith was offered as a sacrifice to al-Uzza. Ten years later, al-Harith took his revenge and slew his Lakhmid enemy in a battle in the district of Qinnasrin. This battle is known as the �Day of Halimah� of Arabic tradition. Halimah was the daughter of al-Harith, who, before the battle, perfumed with her own hands the hundred Ghassanid champions ready for death and clad them in shrouds of white linen in addition to coats of mail (suicide squad?) (Ibid). Note: the italicized words are mine. Al-Lat was in Taif. Muhammad offered a sacrifice to al-Uzza. Al-Uzza, the mightiest was Venus, the morning star. Her sanctuary consisted of three trees. Human sacrifice characterized her cult. Al-Rahman (the compassionate), RHM occurs as the name of a deity in pre-Islamic Sabaean inscription. Shirk�south Arabia inscription, worship of one Supreme Being with who other minor deities were associated (Ibid, p. 99). Manah was the goddess of fate. She was in a sanctuary of black stone in Qusayd on the road between Mecca and Yathrib. Still today the Arabs believe in the power of her. Hubal was the chief deity of Ka�ba in human form. Hubal was imported from Mesopotamia (Ibid, p. 100). Did Allah have a son? Of course, the Christians do believe this. We are fully aware of the Islam�s unshakable stand that Allah never had a son. How far this is true? Let us read the following verses from the Qur�an. Mary guarded her chastity (sexual organ); Allah breathed into her His spirit (Ruh) and thus Allah made her and her son (Jesus is Allah�s spirit?) a sign for all people...21:91. Mary was the daughter of Imran; she guarded her chastity (sexual organ) and was a virgin before she became pregnant through Allah; Allah breathed His spirit into Mary's body...66:12. Those verses refer to the birth of Jesus by a Virgin Mary. A representative of Allah, in the shape of a man (Archangel, possibly, Gabriel), met Mary when she was living alone in a temple. This representative of Allah told Mary that he had with him the Ruh or the �spirit� (in simple language this could mean the Seed of Allah) to impregnate her with. Then this man (Archangel Gabriel) blew through the upper garment of Mary to let this Seed of Allah (Ruh) travel all the way to her uterus and caused her the pregnancy. We will surely find this interpretation impossible to believe. Let us read what the most celebrated scholar of the Qur�an, ibn Kathir says on this type of induced pregnancy (artificial insemination?). On the interpretation of verse 21:91, ibn Kathir writes:
`Isa and Maryam the True Believer
[وَالَّتِى أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا] (And she who guarded her chastity,) means, Maryam (peace be upon her). This is like the Ayah in Surah At-Tahrim: [وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَةَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِى أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا] (And Maryam, the daughter of `Imran who guarded her chastity. And We breathed into it [her garment] through Our Ruh) [66:12]. [وَجَعَلْنَـهَا وَابْنَهَآ ءَايَةً لِّلْعَـلَمِينَ] (and We made her and her son a sign for the nations. ) means, evidence that Allah is able to do all things and that He creates whatever He wills; verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be'' -- and it is! This is like the Ayah: [وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ ءَايَةً لِّلْنَّاسِ] (And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind) [19:21] [إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَاْ رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ - وَتَقَطَّعُواْ أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَجِعُونَ - فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّـلِحَـتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلاَ كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَـتِبُونَ The above interpretation means that the angel (Gabriel) implanted the seed (Ruh) of Allah inside the womb of Mary. It might seem incredible but let us read ibn Kathir �s interpretation of verse 66:12. (And Maryam, the daughter of `Imran who guarded her chastity (private part).) meaning, who protected and purified her honor, by being chaste and free of immorality, [فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا] (And We breathed into it (private part) through Our Ruh,) meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him to blow into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb through her private part; this is how `Isa was conceived. This is why Allah said here, [فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَـتِ رَبَّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ] (And We breathed into it through Our Ruh, and she testified to the truth of her Lords Kalimat, and His Kutub,) meaning His decree and His legislation. [وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَـنِتِينَ]
Even ibn Kathir admits
that Jesus carried Allah�s seed (sperm or Ruh?). So why Islam must reject
the Christians� assertion that Jesus was, after all, the son of Allah (or
God)? Seems the Christians are correct in asserting Jesus is the son of
Allah.
Allah frequently changes His
residence
The Sumerian Allah:
(Sumer, Babylon; and then Mecca). We might be amazed at so many different versions of Allah. But hold on. Does not the Qur�an say that Allah has many names? If fact, the Islamic scholars insist that Allah has ninety-nine names (including Allah, this makes it a century, to be precise). Although we do not find any verses in the Qur�an which specifically spells out this number (ninety-nine), we should not be surprised at so many names (in reality, different versions) of Allah. The only problem is: if we read the Qur�an carefully, cover to cover, several times, we might find many more names of Allah than the ninety-nine as claimed by the Islamist scholars. We should not be amazed if we note that there are around three hundred (yes, three hundred) descriptions of Allah�to be exact. What should be most startling is that all those Allahs (plural!) lived at different locations but only within the boundaries of Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Iraq. Why should Allah choose only these places (Arab lands, to say it bluntly) to live when the entire universe is His? This question is not hard to answer when we figure out the depth of geographical knowledge of those ancient Arabs, Sumerians and Babylonians. The fascinating point is: having lived in those territories for many millenniums, Allah suddenly changed His mind with the birth of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. Islam claims that Allah made Ka�ba 2 000 years before He created Adam (Ghazali, 1993, p. 1.190). There is evidence to suggest that Allah did, at least for a while, live in Mecca. An inscription found during the digging of Ka�ba foundation by Muhammad�s grandfather Abdal Muttalib read, �I am Allah, the Lord of Bakka�� ( ibn Ishaq, 2001, p. 85).
Having travelled through
all those desert lands, finally, when Allah learned about the birth of
Muhammad, He determined to settle permanently in Mecca, at Ka�ba, to be
specific. This should not surprise anyone. Because the other name of Ka�ba
is Bait Allah (Allah�s residence). Here are a few verses from the Qur�an which confirm that Allah decided finally to permanently settle in Mecca when Muhammad was in Mecca. During Muhammad�s time in Mecca, Allah lived in Mecca; He was the Lord of Mecca; Muhammad is commanded to serve the Lord of the city (of Mecca) and to be of those who submit to Islam�27:91. The Quraysh should adore Allah for giving them the security and importance of Ka�ba (i.e., K�aba is the abode of Allah)...106:1-3. Ka�ba is the house of Allah; visit Allah there at any time�pilgrimage or not...2:158. Readers should understand that here we are talking of Muhammad�s Allah. The Pagans of Arabia, for a long time before Muhammad started his preaching, knew that Allah, along with His consorts, daughters and companions lived in Mecca. What they could not accept was Muhammad�s complete rejection of the associates of Allah, the numerous idols which the Pagans believed interceded with Allah. Thus, they betook Muhammad�s Allah as a new brand of God which they rejected out of hand. Abul Kasem writes from Sydney, Australia. Email : [email protected]
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
||
|
|
||||
|
|
 |
 |
 |