Monday, June 8, 2009

Obamination: Scripture Quotes from Cairo

I have discovered through other blogs and search engine statistics that I should have given more attention to the scripture quotes in President Barack Hussein Obama's speech to the "Muslim World" at Cairo University. I hope that this post will correct that oversight.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON A NEW BEGINNING Cairo University Cairo, Egypt.
As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."
A search of the Hilali & Khan translation did not turn up any matches. I also struck out at http://www.quranbrowser.com. I returned to the Noble Qur'an, searching first for truthful, and within the results for remember Allah. Since the method I use searches several volumes at once, I sorted them by source document. Matches were found in the following Surahs:
  • 2
  • 3
  • 7
  • 26
  • 33
  • 62
Searching those chapters did not disclose any relevant verses. I next tried "the truth" as the primary search key, finding matching records in these Surahs:
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 7
  • 26
  • 33
This search produced one relevant ayat, which I present with context.
  • 33:60. If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease (evil desire for adultery, etc.), and those who spread false news among the people in Al­Madinah, cease not, We shall certainly let you overpower them, then they will not be able to stay in it as your neighbours but a little while.

    33:61. Accursed, wherever found, they shall be seized and killed with a (terrible) slaughter.

    33:62. That was the Way of Allâh in the case of those who passed away of old, and you will not find any change in the Way of Allâh.

    33:63. People ask you concerning the Hour, say: "The knowledge of it is with Allâh only. What do you know? It may be that the Hour is near!"

    33:64. Verily, Allâh has cursed the disbelievers, and has prepared for them a flaming Fire (Hell).

    33:65. Wherein they will abide for ever, and they will find neither a Walî (a protector) nor a helper.

    33:66. On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: "Oh, would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad )."

    33:67. And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (Right) Way.

    33:68. Our Lord! give them double torment and curse them with a mighty curse!"

    33:69. O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Mûsa (Moses), but Allâh cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honourable before Allâh.

    33:70. O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth.
  • 33:71. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).

In the preceding ayat, we discover that Moe was cursing hypocrites, declaring that they will be slaughtered and damned. The succeeding ayeh holds a great clue for us: "righteous good deeds". What are good deeds?
  • 4:57. But those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), abiding therein forever. Therein they shall have Azwâjun Mutahharatun [purified mates or wives (having no menses, stools, urine, etc.)] and We shall admit them to shades wide and ever deepening (Paradise) .
  • 48:29. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of (their) prostration (during prayers). This is their description in the Taurât (Torah). But their description in the Injeel (Gospel) is like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, it then becomes thick, and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allâh has promised those among them who believe (i.e. all those who follow Islâmic Monotheism, the religion of Prophet Muhammad till the Day of Resurrection) and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (i.e. Paradise).

Those admitted to the Gardens are those who join the Jihad. See 61:10-13. righteous good deeds is a code phrase for aggressive war!

Robert Spencer asserts that the quote belongs to 9:119.
  • 9:119. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allâh, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) .

    9:120. It was not becoming of the people of Al-Madinah and the bedouins of the neighbourhood to remain behind Allâh's Messenger (Muhammad when fighting in Allâh's Cause) and (it was not becoming of them) to prefer their own lives to his life. That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger in the Cause of Allâh, nor they take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but is written to their credit as a deed of righteousness. Surely, Allâh wastes not the reward of the Muhsinûn
There is plenty of redundancy in the Qur'an and both cited contexts ultimately convey the same message. Since the President did not cite the Surah & ayeh numbers, we are at liberty to speculate.
The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as -- it is as if he has killed all mankind. (Applause.) And the Holy Koran also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. (Applause.)
  • 5:32. Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allâh by committing the major sins) in the land!.

    5:33. The recompense of those who wage war against Allâh and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter.
For some reason, Muslims and their apologists never quote 5:33. Can you guess why?
The Holy Koran tells us: "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."
  • 49:13. O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2)]. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

    49:14. The bedouins say: "We believe." Say: "You believe not but you only say, 'We have surrendered (in Islâm),' for Faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allâh and His Messenger, He will not decrease anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

    49:15. Only those are the believers who have believed in Allâh and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allâh. Those! They are the truthful.

    49:16. Say: "Will you inform Allâh about your religion? While Allâh knows all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allâh is All-Aware of everything.

The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
This question turns up at Free Republic: Why Couldn’t Obama’s Speechwriters Find a “Peace” Quote from the Koran?
Of course, its because they don't use the chm file I compiled. A search for "make peace" turns up one match:
  • 49:9. And if two parties or groups among the believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them both, but if one of them rebels against the other, then fight you (all) against the one that which rebels till it complies with the Command of Allâh; then if it complies, then make reconciliation between them justly, and be equitable. Verily! Allâh loves those who are equitable.

    49:10. The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islâmic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allâh, that you may receive mercy.
Peace is between Muslims only.
  • 47:35. So be not weak and ask not for peace (from the enemies of Islâm), while you are having the upper hand. Allâh is with you, and will never decrease the reward of your good deeds.

The Holy Bible tells us: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
One of those words occurs in the Qur'an, but not in the same context. Surah Al-Baqarah begins by defining believers. For context, I begin with an ayat which points out the fact that participation in Jihad is a prime test of believers. Note the phrases I have emphasized.
  • 2:3. Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakât , spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allâh's Cause - Jihâd, etc.].

    2:4. And who believe in (the Qur'ân and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.).

    2:5. They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.

    2:6. Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe.

    2:7. Allâh has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allâh's Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.

    2:8. And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allâh and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.

    2:9. They (think to) deceive Allâh and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!

    2:10. In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allâh has increased their disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies.

    2:11. And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."

    2:12. Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.

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