new

What Does it Mean by Man Created from 'Clay'?

Salamun Alaikum sister,

Of course as you no doubt will appreciate, the English 'clay' is only a best rendition of the particular Arabic words used to describe man's initial creation which can imply shades of meaning.

The 'tiin’in' in Arabic implies earth, soil, earthy, mud or earthly composition. Depending on the different layers of the earth's strata, the composition can vary.

In some verses, there are different Arabic words to describe the initial composition of man through his evolutionary cycle .

015.026
"We created humankind from sounding clay (Arabic: salsalin) from black mud (Arabic: ham-in) altered (Arabic: masnun)"

Note the Arabic word used for altered as 'Masnun'.

Masnun is formed from the same root word (Siin-Nun-Nun) which forms other words such as 'sunnah'.

The root word means to follow a path, a line of conduct or mode of life, to establish the law, to form, to mould into shape, to polish. Therefore, a gradual altering seems to have been implied by the use of the word 'masnun'

The Quran is best making use of words to describe man's earthly composition and possible gradual development.

On a side note however, and not intended to provide ‘support’ for the above, it is not unusual to find discussions of ‘clay’ in scientific communities when debating the origins of life.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4307-clays-matchmaking-could-have-sparked-life.html

I hope this helps,
Regards,
Joseph

Lobotomize94 #fundie #crackpot #dunning-kruger quransmessage.com

(Part 1)
Strong evolutionary support in the Quran 32:7-9

(Quran 32:7) Allah is He who has made everything He created BETTER, and He began the creation of the human (being) out of clay--> He made everything he created better. Evolution seems to explain the mechanism of perfecting God's creation. (Clay is a product of wet earth-Exactly what you are made of: Water and Earth.

What's even more fascinating about this verses is that Allah say he made all of his creation better from the original and he began the creation of a human. This verse is hinting at a connection. A connection that human beings were made through a process of evolving better than the original creation.

(Quran 32:8) Then (thumma) He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained.
(Quran 32:9) Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.

Allah BEGINS the process of creation, lets sexual reproduction happen, and then we get proportioned and achieve higher consciousness. Aren't these verses clear in their support of gradual creation of humans?

The preceding verse seems to be a highlight of the major evolutionary steps and it uses a sequential conjunction to illustrate its purpose. Creation began from a basic earth like substance (clay), then after the initiation of creation, sexual reproduction develops and then after that higher intelligence forms. This verse specifically says that our posterity was made from an extract of a liquid disdained, this implies that after the initiation of creation of man from the Earth, the ability to sexually reproduce formed. After sexual reproduction formed, higher intelligence develops. Evolutionary, we can say that life formed from the Earth (or what became to be the earth). Their mode of reproduction was asexual. Then sexual reproduction occurred which allowed for more variation and more complexity in organisms. Through sexual reproduction, more variation occurred which allowed extremely complex multicellular organisms capable of thought, like humans to develop. This Quranic verse appears to highlight such a phenomenon by stating that creation started out of the Earth, then sexual reproduction developed, then humans formed.

Joseph Islam #fundie quransmessage.com

(part 1)
SEXY FEMALE VIRGINS FOR MEN IN PARADISE - REALLY?

Quite extravagant and graphic portrayals of female virgins are found in Islamic secondary sources. Female virgins reserved specifically for men in heaven constitute one such example.

SO WHAT DOES THE QURAN REALLY SAY?

The term ‘Hur’ is one of the most abused and graphically portrayed concepts in Islamic secondary sources. Its restricted interpretation to denote female virgins finds no support in the Quran, or for its male-centric bias.

The Arabic word 'Hur' is the plural of both the word 'Ahwar' (Masculine) and 'Hawra' (Feminine). It literally translates as "white-eyed", or persons distinguished by 'Hawar', signifying the intense whiteness of the white of an eye and intense black of the pupils.

Generally, it has the significance of ‘whiteness’, ‘purity’, or ‘pure beings’. It is not ‘gender specific’ for a male audience as it is more commonly known. A better and correct rendering is ‘companions pure’.

Therefore : Ha-Waw-Ra (Ha-Alif-Ra) is:

The white around the eye, intense whiteness of the white of the eye and intense blackness of the black* not found in humans but attributed to them by way of comparison. Or it is applied to one bearing the following significations: one who is freed and cleared of every vice, fault or defect, one who has been tried and proved time after time and found to be free of vices, faults or defects. A thing pure. One who advises/counsels or acts sincerely/honestly/faithfully, friend/assistant, fair woman/man.

Lobotomize94 #fundie #dunning-kruger quransmessage.com

(Part 2 of “ Strong evolutionary support in the Quran 32:7-9″)

(Quran 35:11) And Allah did create you from dust; then from a reproductive fluid; then He made you in pairs

^Here the Quran makes a very important point. This verse is stating the process of creation. We were first created from dust (a basic compound) then we were created from a reproductive fluid (This is signifying the creation of sexual reproduction), after sexual reproduction: we were created in pairs-male and female. This also shows that the first humans were created from a reproductive fluid and not instantly as creationists believe. The process of formation involved simple compounds and then sexual reproduction formed which ten allowed humans to be in pairs-male and female. This is exactly how it occurred in the evolutionary timeline. The first cell came from the Earth, then through several generations, sexual reproduction evolved which gave rise to more variation and genetic recombination which allowed for higher-level organisms like mammals to evolve.

One extremely important verse:

(Quran 82:6-9) O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, then proportioned you, and then balanced you; in whatever form He willed has He assembled you.

^This verse is referring to the whole of mankind. It separates creation, proportioning and balancing into 3 separate categories implying a difference of steps and time in each. Then the verse tells us that we (mankind) have been assembled through the process of creation, proportioning and balancing

Lobotomize94 #fundie #dunning-kruger quransmessage.com

(Part 1)

Strong evolutionary support in the Quran 32:7-9

(Quran 32:9) Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.

^AFTER Allah made sexual reproduction, he proportioned us and given us vision/hearing/consciousness.

Joseph Islam #homophobia #fundie quransmessage.com

Is Homosexuality Punishable By Death?

Punishment of death is only actionable in two circumstances in the Quran.

(1) As a retribution for causing 'fasaad' (gross mischief / evil, beyond all bounds) in the land (punishable by the state)
(2) As a retribution for murder (punishable by the state).

Unlike the Bible (Leviticus 20:13), there is no punishment for death for homosexuality in the Quran. However, the Quran deems homosexuality as a sinful transgression, a 'fahisha' and it attracts condemnation and some form of retribution if one does not repent (for an Islamic state to decide based on circumstances). Verse 4:16-17 makes this clear.

004.016
"And as for the two of you who are guilty thereof, then punish them both. But if they repent and amend, then let them be. Indeed! God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

From a Quran's perspective, homosexuality runs contrary to the nature of humans where genders of opposite sex have been created for intimate relationships and procreation through 'lawful marriage' (Nikaah) . The practice of homosexuality has also been severely rebuked in the example captured in the narratives regarding the People of Lot.

007:080-81
"And Lot when he said to his people "Do you commit lewdness (Arabic: fahishata) such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? Indeed, you approach men lustfully in preference to women. Nay, you are a people transgressing beyond bounds / committing excesses"

I hope this helps,
Joseph.

Joseph Islam #fundie #crackpot #dunning-kruger quransmessage.com

Do Animals Have Any Sort of Accountability?

The animal kingdom may not have been granted 'vicegerancy' or 'trust' (33:72) on planet Earth as humans were, but it is quite possibly a mistaken belief according to the Quran, that they are aimless creatures with no possible answerability whatsoever of their own.

The Quran makes it clear that every moving creature / animal is created no different to our communities (ummah - i.e. implying they have characteristics in common, tribes, common values, social interaction, intent, resources, fellowship, kinship, hierarchy, communication methods et al); that their actions will be recorded as nothing is omitted from a Record / Book and that they will indeed be gathered back to their Lord for answerability in whatever capacity He so wills.

If they were merely aimless creatures there would arguably be no need to resurrect them on the Day of Judgement.

006:038
"And there is no creature on (or within) the earth or a bird that flies with its wings except (that they are) communities (umamun) like you. We have not neglected anything in the Book (Register). Then to their Lord they will be gathered"

This understanding is also supported by a narrative of the Quran which involves Prophet Solomon and a Hoopoe bird where there is clear evidence that the ‘bird' had the ability to disobey orders of some sorts and thus subject to retribution. Although, the bird had good reason for his absence in this particular instance, this does not deter from the fact that some form of accountability was expected from him.

027.020
“And he inspected the birds and said "Why is it that I do not see the hoopoe or is he from the absent?"

027.021
"I will surely punish him with a severe punishment or I will surely slay him, unless he brings me a clear reason (for his absence)"

I hope this helps, God willing