20. Is there a decree to commit suicide?

The verse 2:54 says Prophet Musa decreed that people from his community kill themselves, most of the exegesis give a direct meaning to this. 

The people belonging to the community of Prophet Musa should kill themselves as punishment for treating an idol as God is the explanation given by these exegetes.

When Prophet Musa witnessed people of his community placing an ox idol in the place of monotheistic God, he was infuriated to the extent of throwing the scripture he brought and started beating his counterpart Prophet Haroon who doubles as his sibling by holding his beard, and in anger he uttered the words ‘it’s better you die’, towards his people. This expression of anger, normally by an extremely infuriated person, cannot be taken as a genuine wish. 

Prophet Musa’s this statement should be viewed from this angle, because prophets could never have decreed to commit suicide. And the exegetes also cite the verse ‘We brought you to life after death’ as a continuation to prove his people did commit suicide. This is a misconception. 

If we pay attention to the two verses following 2:54 it could be understood that that they did not commit suicide. In 2:55 it is said since they demanded God’s appearance a deadly thunder struck them. 

In 2:56 it says, ‘We brought you to life after death’ From the three verses of the Quran, it can be observed they were killed by a thunder strike when they demanded God’s appearance, resulting in their death. Only after this the declaration ‘We brought them to life’, and not after they committed suicide.

Hence, we can conclude they did not commit suicide nor were they decreed to do so by Prophet Musa but were killed by thunder strike for demanding God’s appearance.

19. How did Samiri pull out a miracle?

The following verses (2:51, 2:54, 2:92, 2:93, 4:153, 7:148, 7:149, 7:152, 20:85-98) talk about a miracle performed by Samiri who lived during Prophet Musa’s time. 

Prophet Musa was summoned by God to Sinai Mount to be bestowed with scripture. As soon as the prophet departed, Samiri melted all the gold jewelry he collected from the community members of Prophet Musa and made an idol of an ox out of it. This ox idol made of gold emitted a sound when he sprinkled sand taken from the footprints of prophet Musa, and he declared the idol as the real God and Prophet Musa had abandoned them for a rendezvous with the false god. He managed to convince them to worship the same.

The people started believing that the sound emitted by the idol was more than enough proof to prove that indeed the idol was their real God. The fact that it cannot respond to them or its inability to speak had not entered their intellect. Prophet Musa burnt the entire idol to prove to the people that it is not God. 

Looking at this incident we should not be misled to believe that Samiri had the powers to perform wonders. 

Normally we conclude a person can achieve feats if he proves them by performing the same whenever required.

Or he should have performed the same feat many times. We believe breaking a matchstick into two pieces is within the power of all men. A person, whenever he wishes to break a matchstick into two, is always capable of doing it as many times as and when required. May be once in a thousand times or once in one hundred thousand times may falter as per Allah’s wish. 

Similarly, when a person succeeds in bending a crowbar and breaks it, we do not immediately conclude that he has the innate strength to break crowbars at any given time. We would require him to break more crowbars to prove his strength, and then conclude he is indeed extremely strong.

In case he fails to break many more crowbars or refuses to break again the conclusion to be made naturally is his performance previously is nothing but a weakness lying within the crowbar or the Al-Mighty ordered it be broken. Hence, we conclude that he does not possess the strength innately. 

Did Samiri perform this with prior knowledge about the results, or did he possess the capability to make ox idols made of gold that produce a sound when sprinkled with sand or was it a one-time coincidence can be clarified while going through these verses. Prophet Musa asked ‘Oh Samiri what ails you?’. I observed what they missed. I picked up a pinch of sand from the footsteps of this prophet and sprinkled it on the statue. My mind provoked me to do it. ’You go away’, during the rest of your life you will remain untouchable. The irrevocable committed time for you is alive. And Musa said look at the god you worshipped, we will consume it to flames and sprinkle its ashes in the sea. (Al-Quran 20:95, 96, 97.)

When Musa enquired what was the matter with him, he did not reply by saying that he possessed the ability to perform wonders. On the contrary he replied by saying he was enticed to make a golden ox idol and sprinkle sand from the footprints of the prophet.

So, we come to understand that he did not possess any ability to perform wonders but was goaded by the Al-Mighty to do what he did.

To prove that Samiri did not possess any power to perform miracles, Prophet Musa consumed the golden ox idol to flames. Samiri could just be a witness to the incident. 

Samiri could not challenge Prophet Musa’s steadfastness. He could not save his idol nor himself. 

In the same way miracles by coincidence may happen in the lives of many, this should not be misconstrued as if it is of their own making. 

 A person who was under coma and announced would not recover happens to sit up in his bed enquiring about our health in turn cannot claim it as his miracle nor do we. We take that as Allah’s grace on him to be cured. 

Only when a person plans and executes a deed shall we deem him responsible for the act he committed.

How do we understand an incident where a person comes out unscathed after falling from a fifty storied building? Neither he nor anyone can claim that he can fall any number of times from a fifty storied building and come out unscathed. We will take it as an unexpected grace to him from Allah’s side.

This example could make us understand that Samiri did not have powers to perform any miracles.

Please refer to point number 269 to know more about miracles. 

18. Prophet Musa was not bestowed with any scripture for quite a long time.

Prophet Musa was called by Allah to Mount Sinai within thirty days to receive the scripture in written form. Later, extended to another ten days, at the end of which Prophet Musa was bestowed with scripture engraved in a slate can be seen from verses 2:51, 7:142 of the Quran. Verses 7:144,145 of the Quran clearly state that after Firoun and his forces were decimated, Prophet Musa was summoned by God to Mount Sinai for the revelation of scripture.

 Prophet Musa was a prophet even before he was bestowed with scripture. He was guiding his community and rallied against Firoun’s injustices. Only later was a scripture bestowed on him which lets us conclude that even without a scripture the work was carried on by prophets in spreading God’s word. 

This proves (Prophets being revealed scriptures, in addition to messages being delivered in various other ways), the belief that only scriptures constitute God’s message wrong.

 In addition to obeying Allah’s commandments, Prophet Muhammad’s guidance should also be adhered to can be referred in points 36, 39, 50, 55, 56, 57, 60, 67, 72, 105, 125, 127, 128, 132, 154, 164, 184, 244, 255, 256, 258, 286, 318, 350, 352, 358, 430. 

17. Do recommendations matter in the hereafter?

Do recommendations matter in the hereafter world? We find three kinds of opinions expressed on this subject. 

1.Absolutely no recommendations allowed in the hereafter world. 

2.The virtuous and prophets are allowed to recommend. 

3.Recommendations with conditions allowed. 

The first two opinions expressed are wrong. People who have gone through the following verses 2:48, 2:123, 2:254, 6:51, 6:70, 6:94, 26:100, 32:4, 36:23, 39:43,44, 74:48 alone conclude there are absolutely no recommendations in the hereafter world, and that recommendations are useless there. There are verses that convey the idea that recommendations can be made, and others rebut the same. Nevertheless, there are verses that seem to connect the contradicting thoughts and at the same time convey that recommendation can be made with conditions. These verses obviate the contradictions. 

Who dares to suggest without His authorization? Al-Quran 2:255

No one dares to suggest without His authorization. Al-Quran 10:3.

Hence, we cannot conclude that there are absolutely no recommendations in the hereafter world, whereas these verses convey the message, recommendation can be made but with His authority.

The Quran says in the following verses 21:28, 19:87, 20:109, 34:23, 43:86, 53:26 that whoever is authorized by the Al-Mighty can recommend and those recommended will benefit them. 

These verses stand to prove that people who say there are absolutely no recommendations in the hereafter are wrong. 

Those who do believe that recommendations are useful in the hereafter should vie for the best and seek paradise and ask God for it at the first instance.

Prophet Muhammad never said to people to plead seeking his recommendation from God Al-Mighty. He said his recommendations are available for sinners based on some good deeds they commit in this world. 

Nobody knows whom Allah will authorize to recommend. 

Hence pleading with a sage or a pious person while in this world to intercede in the hereafter should not be done. This act amounts to meddling in Allah’s domain. 

The reason for people of Makkah turning infidels due to this act can be seen in the verse 10:18. 

Not only authorizing somebody to recommend, but also issuing authorization to whom it applies is the domain of Allah. Thus no one should seek recommendations from others in the hereafter while in this world. 

When Allah has the sole authority to forgive, He chooses one person to recommend another for mercy. This is a recommendation manifest, but Allah wields the final authority. 

(Hadith Book Bukhari: 99, 335, 448, 3340, 4476, 4712, 6304, 6305, 6565, 6566, 6570, 7410, 7440, 7474, 7509, 7510) 

How justifying Dargah worship is malicious can be referred to in notes 41, 49, 79, 83, 100, 104, 121, 122, 140, 141, 193, 213, 215, 245, 269, 298, 327,

397, 427, 471, 18. 

16. Special mention of Israelites.

In verses 2:47, 2:122 45:16 Allah says the Israelites were more chosen by Him than others.

 One of the basic ideologies in Islam is that no one is superior by birth. This is found in verses 2:111, 3:75, 49:13 of the Quran. We need to understand the ‘specialty to Israelites’ based on these fundamentals.

Hence the conclusion that Israelites were not accorded specialty based on birth, but refers to the power given to them to rule, the authority they wielded, worldly facilities they were gifted with etc. 

Prophet Yakub, Prophet Musa, Prophet Haroon, Prophet Dawood, Prophet Sulaiman, Prophet Zacariah, Prophet Yahya, Prophet Esa, all were chosen from among the Israelites, and others were not offered the same opportunity. Verse 5:20 states this clearly, and the above-mentioned verses also talk about the power accorded to the Israelites.

Even these distinctive features accorded to them were not everlasting. 2:47, 2:122, 45:16. In verses 2:47, 2:122, 45:16 we find the usage of past tense ‘were accorded special statuses. This specifies facilities given to them for a particular period and not forever. 

 As far as spiritualism is concerned, the responsibility of exhorting good and forbidding evil rests with the community molded by Prophet Muhammad, this can be seen in the verses 2:143, and 3:110. This was not given to the Israelites. The Israelites who were given wide powers to rule and dignified by God were at a later time subjected to God’s wrath and anger. Al-Quran 2:88, 2:159, 4:46-47, 5:13, 5:60, 5:64, 5:78. 

15. Who are the ‘everyone’ that were ordered to exit?

Prophet Adam and his partner were ordered to exit paradise by God, while this being so we find verse 2:28 calling everyone to exit. Who does ‘everyone’ refer to? This refers to the entire humankind till the doomsday carried within them at the beginning of humans. 

God created from the loins of Prophet Adam’s descendants his progeny and asked them to testify that He is their Lord, and they did. (Al-Quran 7:172). From this verse it could be understood that the term ‘everyone exits’ paradise refers to unborn descendants of Prophet Adam.

The people who live in this world now, and those who lived in the past, and those yet to live are all contained in the first human being. The trait of every human being differentiated from the other is a hereditary character passed on from one generation to the other stands scientifically proved by this verse.

These verses are one of the many types of evidence that prove the Quran is God’s word. 

14. How did Prophet Adam express remorse?

Verse 2:37 of the Quran says Adam (A.S) learnt a few words from the Creator, though the words are not mentioned in this verse, we find them in 7:23 as ’Our Lord we have brought injustice upon ourselves, if you do not show mercy, we are the ones who will turn out to be the losers. 

Both begged for mercy from God, and He forgave them if their sin is clear from this verse. Hence any one expressing remorse for sins committed without intent will be forgiven is evident from this verse.

Some cite a story that Adam sought mercy from God in the name Prophet Muhammad. 

The story goes on like this, when Adam (A.S.) was created he had a view of paradise with the words ‘There is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah’ inscribed on the gates to paradise. On seeing this Prophet Adam asked God about who Muhammad is and how his name is accompanying God Himself, to that God replied to Muhammad will be a descendent down the line and if it wasn't for Muhammad, He would not have created Adam himself. So, at the time of banishment from paradise Adam (A.S) remembered the inscriptions and pleaded for mercy in the name of Prophet Muhammad. This message can be found in the Hadith Books Tirmidi, and Haakim, as narrated by Abdur Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam notorious for fabricating stories in the name of Hadiths. Hence this message is declared by scholars as fabricated.

The Quran clearly states in verse (7:33) the words used by Adam (A.S) in seeking forgiveness. But this message contradicting the Quran is a fabrication and more reason to disbelieve in these kinds of yarns against the Quran.

And moreover, to plead for forgiveness in the name of someone else with God Al-Mighty is meaningless. 

13. The forbidden tree.

The Quran says in verses 2:35, 7:19, 7:20, 7:22, 20:120 ‘do not approach this tree’. There are different views regarding these verses. 

Either in the Quran or the sayings of Prophet Muhammad we dot find mention of name of the tree. There is no significance in the name, but at the same time despite all the facilities made available to prophet Adam he opted to violate the condition not to approach the tree and consequently being exiled should be taken note of. 

Naming a certain tree as the prohibited one without any evidence would amount to the crime of falsely implicating somebody or something.