505. Why is fish eaten without being slaughtered in the name of the creator?

Verses (5:96, 16:14) of the Quran say fish can be used as food. Prophet Muhammad had said while all other meat animals need to be slaughtered for food, the fish are not required to be done so.

There exists a doubt in the minds of people, while all the other meat animals are required to be slaughtered before being used as food, why is the fish exempted?

There is a difference between aquatic and terrestrial animals. 

Fishes have the simplest circulatory system where its blood would not flow profusely if they are slaughtered, as in the case of other vertebrates. In Islam blood from animals slaughtered is prohibited from being consumed.

When cattle are slaughtered alive, blood oozes out, and when already dead animals are cut for consumption, we are faced with a plight to consume their blood that has clotted within them along with the meat. There may be microorganisms and germs that remain along with the blood that had clotted in the body of the dead cattle, the vectors in the blood start spreading to other parts of its body, and cause harmful effects when consumed. 

Since the fishes have the barest circulatory system, even if cut, we do not witness profuse bleeding, and even after death the blood in fish do not have the capacity to intrude into its muscles. The reason Islam says here is no need to slaughter fish before being used as food.

504. Did the offspring of Adam marry within siblings?

In verses (4:1, 7:26, 7:27, 7:31, 78:35, 7:172, 7:189, 17:70, 36:60, 39:6) of the Quran it is said the Almighty created a pair of humans directly and and the whole mankind resulted as their descendants.

The Islamic belief is Adam and Hawwa are the first human beings to be created in this world. Since no humans were created before them, conjugal relationships would have taken place only between the siblings.

If a question is asked whether a marital relationship between siblings is appropriate now, the answer is an absolute no. 

When there was a single couple in the whole world, Allah did permit marriage between the siblings. There was a need for such an arrangement at that point of time, and they cannot be accused of committing a crime. Here again a question can be raised as to why couldn’t the Almighty create two sets of couples in the beginning and start intermarriage.

There is an important reason for the Almighty to have created a single pair of humans in the beginning. 

Only if the concept the whole humankind is from a single set of parents is established can discrimination among men be completely shut and universal brotherhood be maintained.

503. Was man created from clay?

These verses (6:2, 7:12, 15:26, 15:28, 15:33, 17:61, 23:12, 32:7, 37:11, 38:71, 38:76, 55:14) of the Quran speak of man being created from clay. We cannot deny the fact man was created from clay, just because he does not possess any form of the said material in him.

On speculation we observe not only the first human being created by clay, also the ones created by way of the drop of sperm are in fact of clay.

Now for example let’s take into account the population of the world as 70 million at present, with each weighing 50 kilos totalling to 3500 million kilos.

The total weight of the earth is the same when it had no human beings in it in the beginning, as it is now with a population of 70 million.

It did not register an increase in weight, with the addition of a population of 70 million. In fact, it had transferred a weight of 3500 million kilos into human beings. And it goes without saying the earth transformed a weight of 3500 million kilos of itself into human beings. We take in the nutrients from the earth to build ourselves, and hence there is no increase in the weight of the earth.

If a burden of 50 kilos is added with every birth and development of a child into a man the resultant heaviness could dislodge the position of the earth in its orbit to collide with other bodies in space.

When we excavate the bodies of our forefathers it can be observed that they have been transformed into what they have been created from.

The first human was created from clay, a wet mixture of water and soil. Our body consists only of these. Though categorized as various components ultimately it is soil and water at last. 

The meaning of the phrase man was created directly from clay is confirmed by the fact that his descendants are growing from nutrients from soil and water (clay). 

The fact man was created from clay can be evidenced by the presence of nutrients in the human body that are found in the soil as well. A scientific analysis of an average weighing human body of 70 kilos revealed the following data to prove the Quranic verse scientifically.

Please go through the following data presented by John Emsley in his book ‘The Elements’ published by the Oxford University Press. 

The chemical elements found in a human body weighing an average weight of 70 kilos:

1.Oxygen 43 kilos 

2.Carbon 16 kilos 

3.Hydrogen 7 kilos 

4.Nitrogen 1.8 kilos 

5.Calcium 1.0 kilo 

6.Phosphorus 780 gram 

7.Potassium 140 grams

8.Sodium 100 grams 

9.Chlorine 95 grams

10.Magnesium 19 grams

11.Iron 4.2. grams

12.Fluorine 2.6 grams

13.Zinc 2.3 grams

14.Silicone 1.0 grams

15.Rubidium 0.68 grams

16.Strontium 0.32 grams 

17.Bromine 0.26 grams

18. Lead 0.12 grams

19.Copper 72 milligrams

20.Aluminum 60 milligrams 

21.Cadmium 50 milligrams

22.Cerium 40 milligrams 

23.Barium 22 milligrams. 

24.Iodine 20 milligrams

25.Tin 20 milligrams 

26.Titanium 20 milligrams

27.Boron 18 milligrams

28. Nickel15 milligrams 

29.Selenium 15 milligrams

30.Chromium 14 milligrams 

31.Magnesium 12 milligrams 

32.Arsenic 7 milligrams

33.Lithium 7 milligrams

34.Cesium 6 milligrams 

35.Mercury 6 milligrams

36.Germanium 5 milligrams

37.Molybdenum 5 milligrams

38.Cobalt 3 milligrams

39.Antimony 2 milligrams

40.Silver 2 milligrams 

41.Niobium 1.5 milligrams 

42.Zirconium 1 milligram 

43.Latium 0.8 milligram

44.Gallium 0.7 milligram

45.Tellurium 0.7 milligram

46.Yttrium 0.6 milligram

47. Bismuth 0.5 milligram

48.Thallium 0.5 milligram

49.Indium 0.4 milligram 

50.Gold 0.4 milligram

51.Scandium 0.2

52.Tantalum 0.2 milligram

53.Vanadium 0.11 milligram

54.Thorium 0.1 milligram

55.Uranium 0.1 milligram

56.Samarium 50 milligrams

57.Beryllium 36 milligrams

58.Tungsten 20 milligram

Out of all these elements found in the human body except gases like Oxygen and Hydrogen, the rest are from the soil and ultimately get mixed into the soil.

502. Are there two hearts for women?

We have translated this verse (33:4) of the Quran as ‘Allah has not provided two hearts to any human being’ 

The Arabic word ‘Rajloon’ is substituted by us in our translation as ‘men’, its direct meaning is ‘male’. Some call our translation wrong. 

They cite a scientific explanation supporting their argument, saying when women become pregnant, they carry the heart of the child in addition, and is the reason the Arabic word Rajulan is found in the Quran. 

They also cite verses 4:34, 7:155, where this word is used to denote men folk.

It is a fact the word ‘Rajulan’ finds place in this verse, and it is also a fact the direct meaning of the word is ‘men’. But we have translated it as ‘human’ with a valid reason.

Let’s get into its details. 

Though in most of the world's languages several words are used to give a direct meaning, sometimes a word is used to give a wider meaning than a direct one, to drive home a message direct meaning cannot convey.

The phrase ‘I am not not scared of anyone’ generally conveys a message to both men and women.

The direct meaning of the word ‘Rajulan’ needs to be taken as far as possible to mean ‘man’. When found not to fit a context it can be taken to mean a wider interpretation as men and women (humans). 

For instance, in verse 7:46 of the Quran, the plural form of the word ‘Rajul’ as ‘Rijal’ is used and most of the scholars have taken it to mean' as humans' and not the direct meaning ‘men’. 

Those who have committed good and evil deeds equally are to be placed in the barrier lying in between paradise and hell. Similar to the presence of men and women in heaven and also in hell of the hereafter world, the barrier between paradise and hell will also hold both the sexes. Hence the word men used here needs to be understood as referring to humankind.

On observing verse 33:4 it can be seen to refer to both the sexes, and is the reason we have translated as ‘Allah has not provided all men with two hearts’. 

The argument that the word ‘men’ is used to Indirectly differentiate women carrying two hearts during the period of their pregnancy is a fallacy. Let us analyze the verse.

 Verse 33:4 does not talk of the heart as an organ, but as a mind, an idea inside. Let’s take a look at the whole verse.

Allah had not made for any man two hearts in his interior (i.e., body). And he has not made your wives whom you declare unlawful by saying, “You are to me like the back of my mother.” as your mothers. And He has not made your adopted sons your (real) sons. That is your saying by your mouths, but Allah says the truth, and He guides you to the (right way). This is the whole verse 33:4 

The phrase ‘had not made for any man two hearts’ needs to be seen in the context in which it is used.

Let’s imagine a man considers his wife as his mother, while in fact she is his wife, whereas because of his imagination she is made to be his mother. Man has only one heart (mind), if he decides her as a wife, he needs to treat her as wife and not as mother, and in case he decides her as his mother, he cannot treat her as his wife, and he needs to treat her only as a mother. Man has only one heart to decide, he cannot have both ways, it is possible only if he possesses two hearts where he can make a choice one for each person. Hence there are no two hearts provided for men, one cannot take two contradictory decisions at the same time.

Similarly, there can be only one father for a child, and a child cannot be fathered by two men. If a person has two hearts a contradictory decision would be the result, hence a single decision is to be taken by the lone heart. This is the reason we find the phrase ‘there are no two hearts provided for men (humans). 

This verse does not talk of the heart as an organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body in a man, but as a mind that decides between contradictory ideas within him, and there does not exist two hearts (minds) in all men to arrive at two decisions. This is the message the verse conveys. (i.e.,) Allah has not provided two hearts (minds) in men to decide both ways. It could be understood by going through the entire verse, and can be noticed as the common attribute of all men and women.

A pregnant woman can be said to carry two hearts at a time, one of her own and another of the baby within her, but she can never carry two minds to make two decisions at the same time. 

Only her mind decides and not the mind of the child she carries in her. She cannot take a decision on her part and another on behalf of the baby within her. Hence she carries only one heart (mind) during her pregnancy. 

If it is said these words refer only to men as alleged by others, can a pregnant woman claim the baby she carries as hers as well as it belongs to some other women.

If men are not allowed to call a boy a foster child because he was born to a different person, can the same be called by women? If the answer is in the negative, it means the women do not have two hearts provided in them and they are with a single mind established here. Similarly, if a women decides to call her husband also as her father, it be concluded as she having two hearts (minds)

The above cited decision should not be taken either by a man or a woman.

Because both possess a single heart (mind) individually. If these people are true to their concept about women being provided with two hearts (minds), they should agree that calling a foster child as their own is prohibited only for men, and not for women. But they are unwilling to say so, and thereby agree that women are also provided with only one heart (mind). For argument's sake if it is said the verse does not refer to two minds but the two hearts of a pregnant woman, the one heart of the baby she is carrying does not belong to her. Only one heart (mind) is provided in a woman and in no circumstance is she provided with two hearts. 

And in case the mother happens to carry two hearts, it is for a meagre period, as can be seen, for example in a woman of sixty years age giving birth to three children, spends a total of thirty months in her life with the rest of the fifty-seven years of her life spent as an individual person all by herself with one heart. And sometimes if she happens to carry quadruplets then it becomes as if she is carrying five hearts. And in case of women who are not at all chanced to have children the issue of two hearts does not arise.

She remains a women right from the time of puberty to menopause, without two hearts. 

Hence the arguments by these people are totally wrong. 

This verse in fact, conveys a message as a law that contradictory decisions are not to be taken either by men or women, by driving home the truth Allah did not provide any men (human) being with two hearts (minds), making our translation apt, fitting into the context.

501. Can we be guided by our ancestors?

Verse 9:100 says to be guided by those who outrode others in emigration (from Mecca to Madina) and those who assisted them. People who believe we are to be guided also by the sayings and deeds of comrades of Prophet Muhammad cite this verse to substantiate their argument, and try to misguide people 

This verse does not give the meaning these people allude to. To understand the correct meaning of this verse, we need to comprehend the fundamentals of Islam.

Anything in the name of Islam should either be ordered by Allah or his prophet through divine messages conveyed to him.

Any contradiction of Allah and the messenger of Allah needs to be summarily treated as no connection with Islam. Similarly, any message in the name of Islam not from Allah or the messenger of Allah is not at all in any way connected with Islam.

This is the basic ideology of Islam. 

And any message in Islam not from Allah or Allah’s messenger, even if it is said to originate from the comrades of the messenger or from those who are recognized as renowned scholars of Islam does not have any validity.

Guidance to the right path to humans is the sole prerogative of the Almighty, is the first commandment from Him.

Adam (AS) is the first to be directly created by the Almighty, and who had personally witnessed the power of the Creator 

A person such as Adam (AS) and his female partner Hawwa (AS) with the above cited special privileges violated the commandments of the Creator, and were ordered to exit the garden they were in. They were commanded to leave the garden with the following message,

‘Exit everyone, and those who follow the right guidance from Me need not fear and neither will they have concerns. 

The Quran: 2:38 

‘Exit, you both altogether some of you will be antagonizing others, ‘You will receive the right guidance from Me, and those who follow the right guidance will not go astray and will not be the unfortunate ones’. ‘And for those who reject My instructions is a life of torment and will raise them as blinded persons on the day of judgement. 

The Quran: 20:122, 123, 124 

There is no need for the Almighty to convey this message if people are to find the right path on their own.

The Almighty could have conveyed saying ‘I have provided you with awesome knowledge, find the right path on your own and live accordingly’. But the Almighty has said in the Quran the right guidance would come from him and, leading a life accordingly would be victorious for them.

When it is said, a genius among the whole humankind like Adam (AS) himself has been instructed to learn the right path from the Creator, we need not consider anyone else’s actions and sayings as edicts of Islam, other than that of Allah and His prophet.

When Adam (AS) himself was required to follow only the divine messages to follow the right guidance from Allah, do the comrades of Prophet Muhammad or others rank higher than him?

Allah has made it clearer this ideology in verses, 2:170, 3:103, 5:3, 5:48,49 5:87, 6:140, 6:106, 6:114,115, 7:3, 7:32, 9:29, 9:37, 10:15, 10:59, 16:116, 24:51,52, 33:2, 39:3, 39:58, 42:21, 46:9, 49:16, of the Quran.

Let’s investigate the message of verse 9:100 of the Quran. 

This verse (9:100) talks of people who quit Makkah and emigrated to Madina for the sake of Islam. In addition to praising those who emigrated, it also talks highly of people who helped them at Madina on their arrival, and again praises those who followed their example. It says Allah was contended with them and had made ready the paradise for their entry.

The argument by these people is, since Allah has commanded us to follow the comrades of Prophet Muhammad we need to obey Him.

Since a proper approach in understanding of this verse by these people was not ensured, they cite this as a bad precedent. The word ‘follow’ can be interpreted to give a meaning according to the context it is used. 

When it is used to refer to a particular by name to be followed by all, it would mean he should be a guide to us in all respects.

If a person’s job or post is referred to and been asked to follow him regarding the post he holds, it would mean he has to follow in matters pertaining to the post he holds. 

If a police officer has been asked to be followed in matters concerning law of the land, it would not mean that he has to be followed in matters concerning business, marriage, worship etc., 

If for example a magnanimous person by the name of Ibrahim a is asked to be followed in matters of magnanimity, it need not be taken as to follow him in all matters. In this verse it is not said to follow any particular person, but to surpass others in following those who emigrated in matters of emigration for Islam’s sake, and follow those who surpassed others in helping them. 

Here the message conveyed is that some were slow to emigrate in the footsteps of those who emigrated, and the meaning of ‘they surpassed others in following those who helped the emigrates’ is they followed them in a helping attitude.

We need to take notice of another issue here 

Though Allah refers to the sahaba as Muhajir and Ansar, there is no commandment here to follow them in all matters. Allah does not use the phrase ‘those who would follow’ in future tense and but ‘those who followed’ in the past tense.

If the phrase was in future tense as ‘Those who would follow’ it would mean ‘those who follow even now’, and it needs to be noticed ‘those who followed’ would refer to people before the revelation of this verse. 

Hence, the words Muhajir and Ansar refer to the comrades of Prophet Muhammad, it would mean following them is following the comrades of Prophet Muhammad. 

This verse refers to the Muhajirs and Ansars of the initial period of Islam, and all of them are comrades of Prophet Muhammad. This phrase in the verse does not at all refer to non-comrades of Prophet Muhammad. 

This phrase that talks about the those who migrated and those who welcome them does not generally refer to those who normally follow he religion of Islam. 

Allah uses the phrase ‘those who followed’ to point out mistakes that may have taken place during the initial period of emigration by those that emigrated.

And this the apt way of understanding this verse and other verses that do not go against the tenets of Islam. 

If whatever uttered by the Muhajirs and Ansars in the name of Islam is considered to be followed by others, then a situation would arise, where verses saying only ‘Wahee’ needs to be followed is rejected, or the notion that comrades of Prophet Muhammad also received divine messages. Both the concepts are wrong. Hence, these verses do not convey the message that words and deeds of the comrades are grounds for Islam

People who have explanations countering this can be proved wrong by citing another verse.

‘Whoever believed in the Almighty, and the descendants who followed them in the same belief, We will bring them together, and none of their deeds will go unpaid. Each one is held ransom to his acts’. 

The Quran: 52:21 

If this verse is to be understood the way verse 9:100 was done by those having a different opinion from us, it would mean to be guided by sincere parents, in addition to following the comrades of Prophet Muhammad.

The message conveyed in this verse is ‘if the faithful children follow their faithful parents, they are to be rewarded without any shortage.

They agree it does not mean to follow the parents in every aspect.

It could be understood they are wrong; from the way their two different explanations for two verses of the Quran conveying a similar message. 

Prophet Muhammad said ‘The best of you are those of my period, followed by those of the next generation, and those of the generation next to them. The generation following them will be people without integrity, deceivers, and those who will present themselves without being called for as witnesses, and those who do not fulfill their promises, and vanity can be seen exhibited by them.

Hadith Book Bukhari:2651, 3650, 6428, 6695 

These people argue that since the prophet had declared the people of his time and those following in the next generation as the best, following their footsteps is justified.

No doubt this an authentic hadith, but we do not find any words in it saying to follow the comrades of Propet Muhammad. The meaning of this hadith can be seen conveyed by the prophet himself towards the end of this hadith. 

The message conveyed in this hadith is, the community at this period will consist of people with integrity, honesty, who live up to promises given by them, and not interfering in others affairs. 

If it is was declared by Prophet Muhammad the thinking, verdicts, conclusions, and analysis by his comrades are flawless, and hence they are the best among men, then it merits they being followed by others. But the prophet declared them as the best among men because of their integrity, and honesty. A person with integrity and honesty can never be said to be always right in his thinking. 

If we attempt to understand this hadith against the several evidences we have provided, about only the wahee needs to be followed, then a dangerous situation would arise into believing that the comrades of Prophet Muhmmad also received divine messages or wahee.

500. Veiling the face is a requirement, exclusive to the wives of Prophet Muhammad.

This verse (33:53) is one that has been misunderstood by the majority of Muslims all around, and on the basis of which people argue, it is mandatory for womenfolk to cover their faces with a cloth veil. Let’s understand this in detail. 

We have explained in point 472 with proper evidence about the non-requirement to cover the face of women.

Though we have presented several proofs that say about non requirement of Muslim women to cover their faces, the only contention of the people against the evidence provided is as follows:

These people contend that Muslim women remained with uncovered faces before this verse urging women to veil themselves in the presence of men, could be revealed.

What does this verse known as the ‘verse of the hijab’ talk about? 

Oh! You who believe, do not enter the house of Prophet Muhammad unless invited as a guest to dine! Do not keep lingering as the food is being prepared, and depart immediately after dining, do not get engrossed in conversations, that may be bothering him, as he is shy of disclosing this to you. Allah is not shy of disclosing the truth. And if you need to talk to the them (the wives of prophet Muhammad) do it from behind a curtain, since this is better for your hearts and theirs. Do not disturb the messenger of Allah, and you are not to be married to his wives after his demise, this remains as a greatness with the Creator.

The Quran 33:53 

Since it is being said that any conversation with wives of the prophet need to be carried out by men from behind a curtain, these people argue the Muslim women should cover their face at large.

This verse is revealed as an exclusive law only to the wives of the prophet and not for all the Muslim women to follow is clear from the wordings of the verse itself.

The phrase used in this verse ‘the houses of the prophet’ 

And the phrase ‘if you wish to converse with the wives of the prophet, do it from behind a curtain’

And the phrase ‘do not cause disturbances to the prophet’

And the phrase ‘do not ever marry the wives of the prophet’

Clearly point out as special conditions exclusive on wives of the prophet. 

These people very well understand the verse saying ‘do not ever marry the wives of the prophet after his demise’ addressing exclusively the wives of the prophet and not other women, at the same time, they bend another condition of the same verse to their convenience. 

It can be seen from verses 30-33 of the same chapter, in matters of morality and discipline the wives of the prophet have to experience additional restraints.

30. Oh! Wives of prophet, a clear-cut exhibition by you of shameful acts will invite a twofold torment for yourselves.

31. For those the (wives of the prophet) who obey the Almighty and are guided by the prophet and lead a virtuous life We pay them twice and We have made ready for them gracious food.

32. Oh! You the wives of the prophet, you are not akin to other women, if you fear the Almighty do not speak to other men in a soft-spoken manner lest they be carried away by ill intentions. Always speak virtuously.

33. Remain in your homes, do not go about places exposing yourselves like the women of the days of paganism did. Attend worship, and pay your mandatory charity. ‘Obey your God and his prophet, You the women of the prophet’s household, Allah seeks to cleanse you of all impurities and make you immaculate.

All these verses serve as evidence to prove, the wives of the prophet were governed by additional restraints.

From verse 33:30 we understand the wives of the prophet are cautioned, of any violation by them in matters of morality will invite double the punishment meted out to others. 

Verse 33:31 says the wives of the prophet will be gifted double fold. 

Verse 33:32 says Oh! Wives of the prophet you are not similar to others, and while conversing with aliens do not express softness, in your tone, lest those with ill thoughts in their hearts be carried away. Always express goodness. 

Allah makes it clear in this verse the wives of the prophet are not considered to be in par with other women when it comes to matters of morality etc., 

In verse 33:33 of the Quran Allah says pointing out to the wives of the prophet ‘Stay at home and move around places like the women of the ignorant days did. 

 Allah says the wives of the prophet should not leave the household even for their needs, while other women are allowed to do so. 

When these verses are pondered upon, we come to understand the special restraints like veiling the face is for the wives of the prophet alone.

And the hadiths also clearly declare the same.

Umar (RA) narrates: 

Oh! Messenger of Allah, the good and the bad come seeking you, hence I requested the prophet to order the mothers of the believers to remain behind curtains, it was at this instance the verses regarding the hijab were revealed. 

Book: Bukhari 4790, 4483 

Umar (RA) did not make a plea to the Prophet of Islam requesting all women to remain behind curtains, he insisted the restraints only on the mothers to the believers (i.e.,) the wives of the prophet. For the very same reason this verse was revealed.

Substantiating that fact this verse was revealed pertaining to the family members of the prophet can be seen in the following hadith. 

At the occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s wedding with Zainab (RA) he had arranged a celebratory meal, and after the guests left, some lingered on and indulged in conversations among themselves inside the house of the prophet, this act of theirs embarrassed him. A group of guests remained seated inside the house of the prophet when the rest had left. The prophet was also present then, Zainab (RA) who was also there in a kind of displeasure turned herself to face the wall, this made the prophet consider these people as a burden to him, hence Prophet Muhammad left the house to visit his other wives and greet them. When he returned the guests who remained back realized they were an embarrassment to him, and hurriedly left the place. The prophet of Islam then entered the house and downed the curtain. Anas bin Malik says ‘I was seated in the same room and the prophet was also there only for a little time. He left the place and came back to me, the time by which verse 33:53 had been revealed to him. The messenger of Allah came out and recited the verse to the people.

This verse says, Oh! You believers do not enter the houses of the prophet of Allah unless invited by him for a meal, and after dining leave immediately. Do not get yourselves engrossed in conversations, indeed this act of your’s hurts the prophet. 

At the instance of the revelation of this verse the wives of prophet Muhammad were provided with curtains, and regarding this, said Anas bin Malick (RA) I am the best informed among men.

The same incidence is recorded in Bukhari: 5466. 

The situation at which this verse was revealed and the words used clearly indicate the law regarding veiling the face of women is exclusively for the wives of Prophet Muhammad.

The law for other women is explained in point 472.

499. Were the verses 113 and 114 revealed regarding witchcraft and sorcery.

Some believe and argue chapters 113 and 114, were revealed as a sequence to Prophet Muhammad’s suffering by witchcraft and that the affliction was removed with the recitation of each verse of these chapters.

We have already explained in point no 357, it is a fiction and fable, that Prophet Muhammad was affected by sorcery.

When the very fact Prophet Muhammad was affected by witchcraft is a blatant lie, the false reason cited for the revelation of these verses based on the incident that never happened becomes a figment of imagination of these people. 

Though the narrators are said to be authentic, but because of the reason this message demolishes the very edifice of Islam we term it a fable. 

There is no credible evidence to prove these verses were revealed as a remedy to remove the sufferings of Prophet Muhammad due to sorcery neither is there a credible narrator chain cited. 

Let's have a look at the critical views of Ibn Kathir’s regarding these verses. 

Sa Alabi, an exegete of the Quran says in his explanation that after Prophet Muhammad was subjected to sorcery,

He sent Ali, Zubair, and Yasir bin Ammar to that well; they drained out all the water from it which was like the juice from henna leaves. And then they removed a rock, under which they found palm leaf pouch containing the Hair from the head of Prophet Muhammad along with a few teeth from his comb. There was also found a threaded needle with twelve knots. That was the time verses 113 and 114 were revealed and as there were recited all the knots unfolded. This is the account given by Sa-Alabi. Only in this account can we find the names of Ayisha and Ibn Abbas mentioned, and it has been presented without the narrator chain connecting with the author of the book. But it has not been mentioned to whom the two (Ayisha and Ibn Abbas) revealed this. And the messages conveyed in this hadith are contradictory to authentic information, and not revealed by anyone else, says Ibn Kathir.

Since any hadith that does not have a narrator chain is considered a fable, we cannot accept this as an authentic one and needs to be rejected.

Similarly, Ibn Hajar also has made a review of this hadith 

The belief 11 knots were tied with the intention to cast witchcraft on Prophet Muhammad, and the revelation of suras ‘Falak’ and ‘Naas’ as a remedy to get rid of the effects of sorcery, those knots being unfolded with the recitation of both suras were quoted from a weak source says Baihakee in his book Talain-nubuwah.

There is no credible evidence to substantiate the message these two verses were revealed at time the prophet was subjected to sorcery. The people who believe sorcery can affect men also agree to this fact. Hence this cannot be accepted to be authentic.

But some give a wrong interpretation to these chapters and say they speak of sorcery. 

Particularly they cite the ‘Falak’ chapter where a phrase is found saying ‘seeking protection from those who blew into the knots’ as substantiation sorcery does affect people. They contend this phrase refers to women who practiced sorcery those days by uttering some words and blowing into knots of threads.

The phrase ‘those who blew into knots of threads’ is an interpretation invented by these people, and nowhere in the Quran or the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad are evidence found. And they are unable to give any acceptable reply to the query regarding their contention it refers only to women sorceresses. 

Any ordinary person would understand the flaw in their argument 

Not only women practice witchcraft but also men do it is the belief of people who subscribe to the view that sorcery affects others. And they believe a sorcerer by the name of Labeed cast witchcraft on Prophet Muhammad, still they insist the phrase meaning ‘protection from women who blew into the knots’ refers to sorcery. In this chapter protection is sought only from women, and not to be protected from men who practice witchcraft.

When these people who believe in the effects of sorcery say this verse was revealed as a protection from it, do they infer protection is only from women sorcerers and not from men who practice the same. Would the Almighty ever be selective in offering protection to His creations.

When contemplated on these lines, the explanations given by these people turn out to be useless, and render the messages of Almighty meaning less. 

Moreover, the belief of the people who support the concept of witchcraft does not restrict them into believing blowing into knots is the only way to harm others. 

Their belief is there are thousands of ways to cast sorcery on others. If this verse was revealed as a remedy to ward off the ill effects of sorcery, it means protection for people only from effects of blowing women and not from the rest of the forms of sorcery, leaving them without any protection.

The fact we come to understand here is, these verses were not revealed as a sequel to ward off the effects of sorcery, and the Almighty would not offer incomplete solutions to issues faced by His creations. 

All over the world, men are mostly involved in witchcraft and only in comics and movies an aged woman is portrayed as a witch. But in real life happenings this is not to be, mostly men are practicing witchcraft, and the claim by these people, the verse was revealed seeking protection from women practicing sorcery does not stand ground. We need to go into the meaning of the phrase ‘from the ill effects of those who blow into the knots’. Though the literal meaning of the word knots means a ‘tie’, when pondered over what kind of an ill effect can a ‘tie’ bring, we are not in a position to attribute the direct meaning to this word. The word ‘tie’ is seen to be used in other contexts as well. 

For example, Prophet Musa had a drawback in him of stammering while speaking, he prayed to God saying ‘Oh! God broadens my heart, makes my affairs easier and removes the knots in my tongue. (The Quran 20:27). We do not understand this verse as meaning the tongue tied as a knot. What was prayed by prophet Musa is a plea to get rid of the stammering he had in him. 

Similarly in verse 2:237 Allah says when a couple is separated after getting married, half of the Mahar amount already paid by the man needs to be returned by the women except when it is relinquished by the one who has the knot called Nikah with him.

Allah refers to the union of man and woman in a conjugal relationship as a knot. Hence we need to look for an explanation from the hadiths for a suitable word denoting ‘Tie’ . While searching in the Prophet’s hadiths for an apt word meaning what a ‘tie’ is, we come across a message by him. 

 He says while a person is fast asleep, Shaitan sits by bedside and

ties three knots at the time of his rising from the bed he will make him feel it is too early for him to get up at the same if the man resists the feeling to sleep again and wakens one knot begins to get untied, ad he second knot gets untied the moment he begins his ablution for worship and the third knot gets untied when he starts his worship. As a result, he leaves a good while for the day behind or else he would have spent the day as a lazy person says the hadith.

Book : Bukhari 1142, 3269 

From this we understand the meaning of a knot by Shaitan is stopping people from doing good deeds and instigating them to do wrong deeds. And thus, it is understood the meaning of the word ‘knots’ in the right context is the leading astray by Shaitan and we seek the protection of the creator from it.

Giving an imaginary explanation instead of seeking the correct meaning by perusing the hadiths is unacceptable.

This chapter 113 is similar to verse 114 which talks about seeking protection from the wavering of the soul.

To know more about sorcery please refer to explanations points 28, 285, 357, 468, 495, 499

498. Good deeds committed earlier by non- Muslims turn into benefits.

Those who believe in Allah and the day of judgment, and also other beliefs in the rightway alone are guaranteed paradise in the hereafter is the fundamentals of Islam.

Those who do a lot of charity and all other charitable acts, but have not accepted Islam, stand to receive the benefits of these acts in this world itself. Since these good deeds by these people were not done with the creator in mind, the benefits will not be awarded by Him, and this person also cannot expect the same.

Similarly, a person who by birth happens to be a Muslim and equates creations of God with with Him, is deemed to have lost all the good deeds done by him. This can be understood from verses 6:88, 29:65 of the Quran. The good deeds done by a person before he accepted Islam as a way of life, would be treated by the Almighty as goodness committed by him in his credit.

Similarly, if a person who has already accepted Islam as a way of life and due to misunderstanding the religion, committed acts equating creations with the Creator, and on realization later accepts Monotheism would not stand to lose the benefits of the good acts committed by him during the period of ignorance he underwent. And in he same way if the people who had not fulfilled their duties correctly as a true Muslim, and turn towards the right path do not stand to lose the benefits of having been virtuous earlier. It can be seen from verses (29:7, 2:143, 25:70) of the Quran, the wrongful acts and beliefs committed by these people are treated as virtuous ones.