Miracles, Myths, Mistakes and Matters — See Title Page and List of Contents
See: Project Rebuttal: What the West needs to know about Islam
Refuting the gross distortion and misrepresentation of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad and Islam, made by the critics of Islam
Read: Background to the Project
List of all Issues | Summary 1 | Summary 2 | Summary 3
In the study of Qur’ân, one comes across its following attributes[1] or varying hues which is a cure for the people (16:69)[2]:
The above attributes of Qur’ân by their very meanings and merits deflect any vestige of myth within its leaves. These attributes steer clear the readers from any read of the Book in which there is even hint of a myth. On the reverse those who so believe are by inference termed as disbelievers:
The key phrase for our discussion in the above verse – those who disbelieve say: This is nothing but stories of the ancients, also includes by implication the so called believers who try to sell the Message by generating myths from within the Book. The mythical interpretations of Qur’ân emanate from concrete read of its metaphors, parables, allegories and the prophecies, while ignoring the linguistic constructs in the diction of the Book:
Jesus the Christ, we read in Mark (7:8) also uttered, a similar warning to the Jews, saying, Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.
Parable, it should be understood, is a similitude, a resemblance taken from natural things to impart to the people the knowledge of things spiritual. In order to give a stronger impression of what they taught, the prophets and other teachers made a free use of this forceful weapon. It catches the ear more easily and penetrates into the human mind.
It needs no ghost to tell you that the allegorical statement, if interpreted literally, will make senseless and absurd reading. Now turn over Qur’ân and read:
If one should take into his head to think that the Most High God, too, has hands and feet and other parts of the physical body like ourselves, or that the heaven has also eyes which shed tears like human eyes, it will certainly be an absurdity of the highest order. Allah's hand signifies power and triumph. And the weeping for a dead man signifies the remembering of his good qualities or actions which often draw tears from the eyes. The heaven and the earth wept not when Pharaoh's people were seized with Divine chastisement, for they had neither the love of God in their hearts nor had they done anything good for men, that their good qualities should have been remembered either in heaven or the earth.”
The above arguments by Mirza Masum Beg can be seen in a working example from Qur’ân in the parable about heaven in the hereafter as extension of heavenly life experienced on earth:
If one were to take above parable about heaven in a literal sense of a physical heaven, then the next verse makes it clear that it would be an error:
Is it not strange that skeptics of metaphors in Qur’ân do not flinch for a moment when they use the metaphors in their own daily living? For example, the common term ‘heartburn’ has no associated burning (of a fire) and that too in the heart. They fully understand the metaphorical meanings of such a term because it reflects its experience. Based upon this understanding they use antacids and a class of medications called proton pumps inhibitors for medical equivalent term of acid-reflux or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), which has nothing remotely common with the heart. “In fact, the American College of Gastroenterology reported that GERD symptoms cost the U.S. nearly $2 billion each week in lost productivity. Yet a 2004 IFFGD survey showed that many Americans don't know what GERD is.”[7] Americans might not know what GERD is but they for sure know what heartburn is[8],[9]. In terms of money, the term ‘heartburn’ costs billions of dollars for its alleviation, yet it is a term freely used because it conveys fully the anguish that a person experiences.
Qur’ân too refers to ‘heartburn’ but in the similitude of an emotional state, the anguish of hell:
Similar to Hell, Heaven too in Qur’ân is a metaphorical construct understood by allegorical references to the present life experiences. The limitation to our imagination is that it is time and space bound. The Heaven and Hell as described in Qur’ân are more of a state than a space or a place:
Just as Qur’ân speaks of the past and the present, it also addresses the future in prophecies. Prophecies too by their very definition are to be interpreted and not to be read literally in the manner that miracles are sometimes erroneously translated and understood in a literal sense. Maulana Muhammad Ali sifts through a general misunderstanding that confuses a prophecy with a miracle:
Additionally, prophecies are hidden in the metaphors. The metaphors only act as a veil:
With the passage of time, when the veil is lifted, the prophecy comes to its natural manifestation. The example is that of veil of dream that the king at the time of Prophet Joseph saw as well as the veil of metaphor in his dream:
To the ordinary mortals, such a veil of dream and metaphors can create confusion for its meaning:
Whereas, the true interpretation that lifts the veil is a felicity granted to only a few –This (my ability to interpret, you should bear in mind) is a part of that knowledge which my Lord has imparted to me [i.e. Joseph] (12:37). In the case of king’s dream Prophet Joseph interprets it as follows:
Thereafter, as we know from other sources that king followed Joseph’s advice and the seasons and harvests followed as predicted.
Symbolism and Allegory in Qur’ân is comprehensively dealt with by Muhammad Asad in his translation and commentary of Qur’ân – ‘The Message of The Quran’. Below is the reproduction of Appendix I:
Instances of such Qur'anic key-phrases can be quoted almost ad infinitum, and in many varying formulations. But there is one fundamental statement in the Qur'an which occurs only once, and which may be qualified as "the key-phrase of all its key-phrases": the statement in verse 7 of Al-'Imran to the effect that the Qur'an "contains messages that are clear in and by themselves (ayat muhkamat) as well as others that are allegorical (mutoshabihat)". It Is this verse which represents, in an absolute sense, a key to the understanding of the Qur'anic message and makes the whole of it accessible to "people who think" (Li-qawmin yatafakkarun).
In my notes on the above-mentioned verse of Al-'Imran I have tried to elucidate the meaning of the expression ayat muhkamat as well as the general purport of what is termed mutashabih ("'allegorical" or "symbolic"). Without a proper grasp of what is implied by this latter term, much of the Qur'an is liable to be – and, in fact, has often been – grossly misunderstood both by believers and by such as refuse to believe in its divinely inspired origin. However, an appreciation of what is meant by "allegory" or "symbolism" in the context of the Qur'an is, by itself, not enough to make one fully understand its world-view: in order to achieve this we must relate the Qur'anic use of these terms to a concept touched upon almost at the very beginning of the divine writ – namely, the existence of "a realm which is beyond the reach of human perception" (al-ghayb). It is this concept that constitutes the basic premise for an understanding of the call of the Qur'an, and, indeed, of the principle of religion – every religion – as such: for all truly religious cognition arises from and is based on the fact that only a small segment of reality is open to man's perception and imagination, and that by far the larger part of it escapes his comprehension altogether.
However, side by side with this clear-cut metaphysical concept we have a not less clear-cut finding of a psychological nature: namely, the finding that the human mind (in which term we comprise conscious thinking, imagination, dream-life, intuition, memory, etc.) can operate only on the basis of perceptions previously experienced by that very mind either in their entirety or in some of their constituent elements: that is to say, it cannot visualize, or form an idea of, something that lies entirely outside the realm of previously realized experiences. Hence, whenever we arrive at a seemingly "new" mental image or idea, we find, on closer examination, that even if it is new as a composite entity, it is not really new as regards its component elements, for these are invariably derived from previous – and sometimes quite disparate – mental experiences which are now but brought together in a new combination or series of new combinations.
Now as soon as we realize that the human mind cannot operate otherwise than on the basis of previous experiences – that is to say, on the basis of apperceptions {conscious perception} and cognitions already recorded in that mind – we are faced by a weighty question: Since the metaphysical ideas of religion relate, by virtue of their nature, to a realm beyond the reach of human perception or experience – how can they be successfully conveyed to us? How can we be expected to grasp ideas which have no counterpart, not even a fractional one, in any of the apperceptions which we have arrived at empirically?
The answer is self-evident: By means of loan-images derived from our actual – physical or mental – experiences; or, as Zamakhshari phrases it in his commentary on 13:35, 'through a parabolic illustration, by means of something which we know from our experience, of something that is beyond the reach of our perception" (tamihilan li-ma ghaba 'anna bi-ma nushahid). And this is the innermost purport of the term and concept of al-mutashabihat as used in the Qur'an.
Thus, the Qur'an tells us clearly that many of its passages and expressions must be understood in an allegorical sense for the simple reason that, being intended for human understanding, they could not have been conveyed to us in any other way. It follows, therefore, that if we were to take every Qur'anic passage, statement or expression in its outward, literal sense and disregard the possibility of its being an allegory, a metaphor or a parable, we would be offending against the very spirit of the divine writ.
Consider, for instance, some of the Qur'anic references to God's Being – a Being indefinable, infinite in time and space, and utterly beyond any creature's comprehension. Far from being able to imagine Him, we can only realize what He is not: namely, not limited in either time or space, not definable in terms of comparison, and not to be comprised within any category of human thought. Hence only very generalized metaphors can convey to us, though most inadequately, the idea of His existence and activity.
And so, when the Qur'an speaks of Him as being "in the heavens" or "established on His throne (al-'arsh)", we cannot possibly take these phrases in their literal senses, since then they would imply, however vaguely, that God is limited in space: and since such a limitation would contradict the concept of an Infinite Being, we know immediately, without the least doubt, that the "heavens" and the "throne" and God's being "established" on it are but linguistic vehicles meant to convey an idea which is outside all human experience, namely, the idea of God's almightiness and absolute sway over all that exists. Similarly, whenever He is described as "all seeing", "all-hearing" or "all-aware", we know that these descriptions have nothing to do with the phenomena of physical seeing or hearing but simply circumscribe, in terms understandable to man, the fact of God's eternal Presence in all that is or happens. And since "no human vision can encompass Him" (Qur'an 6:103), man is not expected to realize His existence otherwise than through observing the effects of His unceasing activity within and upon the universe created by Him.
But whereas our belief in God's existence does not – and, indeed, could not depend on our grasping the unfathomable "how" of His Being, the same is not the case with problems connected with man's own existence, and, in particular, with the idea of a life in the hereafter: for, man's psyche is so constituted that it cannot accept any proposition relating to himself without being given a clear exposition of its purport.
The Qur'an tells us that man's life in this world is but the first stage – a very short stage – of a life that continues beyond the hiatus called "death"; and the same Qur'an stresses again and again the principle of man's moral responsibility for all his conscious actions and his behaviour, and of the continuation of this responsibility, in the shape of inescapable consequences, good or bad, in a person s life in the hereafter. But how could man be made to understand the nature of these consequences and, thus, of the quality of the life that awaits him? – for, obviously, inasmuch as man's resurrection will be the result of what the Qur'an describes as "a new act of creation", the life that will follow upon it must be entirely different from anything that man can and does experience in this world.
This being so, it is not enough for man to be told. "If you behave righteously in this world, you will attain to happiness in the life to come", or, alternatively, "If you do wrong in this world, you will suffer for it in the hereafter". Such statements would be far too general and abstract to appeal to man's imagination and, thus, to influence his behaviour. What is needed is a more direct appeal to the intellect, resulting in a kind of "visualization" of the consequences of one's conscious acts and omissions: and such an appeal can be effectively produced by means of metaphors, allegories and parables, each of them stressing, on the one hand, the absolute dissimilarity of all that man will experience after resurrection from whatever he did or could experience in this world; and, on the other hand, establishing means of comparison between these two categories of experience.
Thus, explaining the reference to the bliss of paradise in 32:17, the Prophet indicated the essential difference between man's life in this world and in the hereafter in these words: "God says, 'I have readied for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever heard, and no heart of man has ever conceived" (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi). On the other hand, in 2:25 the Qur'an speaks thus of the blessed in paradise: "Whenever they are granted fruits therefrom as their appointed sustenance, they will say, 'It is this that in days of yore was granted to us as our sustenance' – for they shall be given something which will recall that [past]": and so we have the image of gardens through which running waters flow, blissful shade, spouses of indescribable beauty, and many other delights infinitely varied and unending, and yet somehow comparable to what may be conceived of as most delightful in this world.
However, this possibility of an intellectual comparison between the two stages of human existence is to a large extent limited by the fact that all our thinking and imagining is indissolubly connected with the concepts of finite time and finite space: in other words, we cannot imagine infinity in either time or space – and therefore cannot imagine a state of existence independent of time and space – or, as the Qur'an phrases it with reference to a state of happiness in afterlife, "a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth" (3:133): which expression is the Qur'anic synonym for the entire created universe. On the other hand, we know that every Qur'anic statement is directed to man's reason and must, therefore, be comprehensible either in its literal sense (as in the case of the ayat muhkamat) or allegorically (as in the ayat mutashabihat); and since, owing to the constitution of the human mind, neither infinity nor eternity are comprehensible to us, it follows that the reference to the infinite "vastness" of paradise cannot relate to anything but the intensity of sensation which it will offer to the blest.
By obvious analogy, the principle of a "comparison through allegory" applied in the Qur'an to all references to paradise – i.e., a state of unimaginable happiness in afterlife – must be extended to all descriptions of otherworldly suffering – i.e., hell – in respect of its utter dissimilarity from all earthly experiences as well as its unmeasurable intensity. In both cases the descriptive method of the Qur'an is the same. We are told, as it were: "Imagine the most joyous sensations, bodily as well as emotional, accessible to man: indescribable beauty, love physical and spiritual, consciousness of fulfilment, perfect peace and harmony; and imagine these sensations intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world – and at the same time entirely different from anything imaginable: and you have an inkling, however vague, of what is meant by 'paradise'." And, on the other hand: "Imagine the greatest suffering, bodily as well as spiritual, which man may experience: burning by fire, utter loneliness and bitter desolation, the torment of unceasing frustration, a condition of neither living nor dying; and imagine this pain, this darkness and this despair intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world – and at the same time entirely different from anything imaginable: and you will know, however vaguely, what is meant by 'hell'."
Side by side with these allegories relating to man's life after death we find in the Qur'an many symbolical expressions referring to the evidence of God's activity. Owing to the limitations of human language – which, in their turn, arise from the inborn limitations of the human mind – this activity can only be circumscribed and never really described. Just as it is impossible for us to imagine or define God's Being, so the true nature of His creativeness – and, therefore, of His plan of creation – must remain beyond our grasp. But since the Qur'an aims at conveying to us an ethical teaching based, precisely, on the concept of God's purposeful creativeness, the latter must be, as it were, "translated" into categories of thought accessible to man. Hence the use of expressions which at first sight have an almost anthropomorphic hue, for instance, God's "wrath" (ghadab) or "condemnation"; His "pleasure" at good deeds or "love" for His creatures; or His being "oblivious" of a sinner who was oblivious of Him; or "asking" a wrongdoer on Resurrection Day about his wrongdoing; and so forth. All such verbal "translations" of God's activity into human terminology are unavoidable as long as we are expected to conform to ethical principles revealed to us by means of a human language; but there can be no greater mistake than to think that these "translations" could ever enable us to define the Undefinable.
And, as the Qur'an makes it clear in the seventh verse of Al-Imran, only "those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning in an arbitrary manner: but none save God knows its final meaning."
[1] Adapted from “Names of the Holy Book,” p. 2-A, The Holy Qur’ân, Eighth Edition (2008) As Explained by Allamah Nooruddin, Rendered into English by Amatul Rahman Omar, Abdul Mannan Omar, Copyright © Noor Foundation International Inc.
[2] Al-Nahl – The Bee: Nooruddin
[3] Al-Anam – The Cattle: Muhammad Ali – Zahid Aziz
[4] Miracles of Jesus the Christ, by Mirza Masum Beg, p. 28-31, 1968, publisher: Malik Zafarullah Khan, Secretary Jamaat-i-Ahmadiyya, Rawalpindi, West Pakistan (excerpted).
[5] Al-Baqarah – The Cow: Nooruddin
[6] Al-Baqarah – The Cow: Nooruddin
[7] http://www.iffgd.org/site/news-events/press-releases/2005-1125-gerd-costs
[8] “Proton pump inhibitors are the most powerful class of antacid drugs. It's the third highest-selling class of drugs in the U.S. In 2009, doctors wrote 113.6 million prescriptions for the drugs. Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC, and the combination medication Zegerid OTC that contains a PPI and sodium bicarbonate are available without prescription. GERD has been treated widely with pharmaceutical medications, which may have helped to decrease GERD hospitalizations. In 2004, 27 percent of elderly Medicare patients used GERD medications such as antacids and antisecretory agents, spending a total of $5.6 billion.” – http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb44.jsp – with reference to: Stagnitti, M.N. The Top Five Therapeutic Classes of Outpatient Prescription Drugs Ranked by Total Expense for the Medicare Population Age 65 and Older in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2004. Statistical Brief #153. December 2006. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. (link: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st153/stat153.pdf)
[9] Top 100 Most Prescribed, Top-Selling Drugs, Medscape Medical News, by Megan Brooks, August 1, 2014: the proton pump inhibitor esomeprazole (Nexium, AstraZeneca), at roughly 18.6 million prescriptions; and sales through June 2014 $6,303,738,580. (link: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/829246)
[10] Al-Humazah – The Slanderer: Nooruddin
[11] Al-Sajdah – The Prostration: Nooruddin
[12] “Promised Messiah and Mahdi” by Maulana Muhammad Ali, p. 36, translated into English by S. Muhammad Tufail M.A., Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Ishaat Islam, Lahore (W. Pakistan), Third Edition, pub: 1959.
[13] Al-Shura – The Counsel: Nooruddin
[14] Yusuf – Joseph: Nooruddin
[15] Yusuf – Joseph: Nooruddin
[16] Yusuf – Joseph: Nooruddin
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
Original Copy of Qadiani Newspaper Al-Fazal exposes character of QK2 Mirza Mahmud Ahmad.
Mahmudis (those Qadianis who believe QK2 was Musleh Mahud) and their off shoots like Munir Ahmad Azam and his followers (Jamaat Ul Sahih Islam) accuse me of making false accusations of immorality of their QK2 Mirza Mahmud Ahmad. It is true that what I have written or translated and quoted exposing immoral character of QK2, on internet forums, is from published books and leaflets in Urdu language authored by former Waqaf-e-Zindghi and Staunch followers of QK2. Followers of QK2 demand from me to provide Original copy of Qadiani Newspaper Al-Fazal, in which Friday sermon of QK2 was published.
Here it is. Go to the Qadiani Jamaat official website to the Urdu page:
and then go down to khutba number 23, dated 17 January 1934. Or directly download the pdf file from:
He narrates his visit to an Opera House in Paris, France, to see naked women. Read from 5th line from the bottom of first page (starting at the words: "Jab mein wilayat gia") over to the second page.
Today I came across clip on you tube on Mullah TV channel in UK. In clip guest mullah read quote from the original issue of said Al-Fazal.
You tube clip ‘Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad Visits The Opera – Ahmadiyya’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ZOh2RJfe4
Hopefully follower of Mahmudi off shoot Munir Ahmad Azam cult who authored following post will also watch above clip and will ponder before alleging me of making false accusations on QK2:
http://sahih-al-islam.blogspot.in/2014/04/truth-about-allegations-on-khalifa-sani.html
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
QADIANI KHALIFA = ISIS KHALIFA
In 1914 Qadiani Khalifa 2 Mirza Mahmud Ahmad said that those who do NOT do his ba'it (pledge of allegiance) are KAFIR.
In 2014 ISIS Khalifa Baghdadi said that those who do NOT do his ba'it are KAFIR.
Today with what face Qadiani Khalifa 5 Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who holds belief that Qadiani Khalifa 2 was God's Divine Appointee, is criticizing ISIS Khalifa??????
Guardian article on Qadiani Khalifa 5 Mirza Masroor Ahmad, in which he is criticizing ISIS:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/15/islam-mosque-imam-ahmadiyya-isis
Even before the issue of ‘half’ testimonial capacity of women is discussed and refuted, it begets one to keep in mind that Quran sets the golden rules of testimony in plain words without differentiating between men and women:
2:140. …And who is more unjust than he who [Arabic: mimman – ‘one who’ i.e. man or a woman] conceals the testimony he has from Allâh. And Allâh is not at all unaware of what you do.'[1]
In light of above verses it is plainly clear that no witness, neither man nor a woman, can conceal the testimony. The deposition by either has to be accepted at par. For the sake of argument, the debate for alleged ‘half’ testimonial capacity of a woman would only arise if there was also a male co-witness, the alleged ‘full’ witness. If there is no male co-witness, then what will be the testimonial status of the woman witness? Will her ‘half’ then not be treated as ‘full’ because the verse 2:140 demands of her to be in witness stand for her testimony? At the same time one may ask a fundamental question that in the same verse since Allah Himself does not deny or dilute the testimonial rights of a woman then how can humans reduce it for her? On the reverse, in the words of Quran, anyone lowering the testimonial rights of a woman as compared to a man would be plain unjust, simply put, it will be against Quran.
In support of the allegation in current issue usually verse 2:282 is quoted. If we look closely at this verse it becomes obvious that critics confuse the factual concession afforded to women over men rather than her testimonial capacity being usurped:
2:282. O you who believe, if you borrow debt for a future period, then you shall record it. And let a scribe of justice record it for you; and let not the scribe refuse to record as God has taught him. Let him record and let the person who is borrowing dictate to him, and let him be aware of God, and let him not reduce from it anything. If the one who is borrowing is immature or weak or he cannot dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate with justice; and bring two witnesses from amongst your men; if they are not two men, then a man and two women from whom you will accept their testimony, so that if one of them becomes occupied[2], then the one can recall [in place of] the other. And let the witnesses not refuse to come if they are called. And do not fail to record it no matter how small or large until its maturity. That is more just with God and better for the testimony, and better that you do not have doubts; except if it is a trade to be done on the spot between you, then there is no sin upon you if you do not record it. And have evidence if you trade. No scribe shall be harmed nor any witness; for if you do so then it is vileness on your part, and be aware of God and God teaches you and God is aware of all things.[3][Emphasis added]
Firstly, nowhere in Quran is it stated that testimony of a woman is half of that a man. Neither does the Quran reduce the testimonial capacity of a woman to less than a man nor does it nullify it like that of a child. The examples of legal capacity of a woman as a witness at par with that of a man can be found in verse after verse and in diverse legal settings and circumstances that might be even more serious than those of verse 2:282. Some of these examples of equality of man and a woman as a witness can be found in Quran in matters of handing over the inheritance to orphans on attaining their majority, allegations of immodesty that might permanently damage a woman or end her marriage into a divorce, certification of a will or termination of marriage:
4:6. And keep on testing the orphans until they attain the (age of) marriage, then if you perceive in them sound judgment deliver to them their property and do not consume it extravagantly and hastily as they grow up (fearing lest they should claim it when they attain majority). And let him (- the guardian) who can afford to do without, let him avoid remuneration, but he who is needy may charge reasonable remuneration with equity. And when you hand over to them (- the orphans) their property let there be some witnesses [male and/or female] to attest. And Allah is enough as a Reckoner (and call you to account). "[4]
4:15. As to those of your women who commit sexual perversity, call in four of you [male and/or female] to witness against them, and if they bear witness then …[5]
5:106. O you who believe! when death comes to one of you (and you wish to make your will) let there be present among you, at the time of making the will, two just persons [male and/or female] from among you or two others [male and/or female] from among the outsiders, in case you are journeying in the country and the calamity of death overtakes you…[6]
24:4. Strike eighty times on the bodies of those who calumniate chaste women and who do not support (their accusation) with four witnesses [male and/or female], and never accept their testimony (because) it is they who are the disobedient (and break the law);[7]
24:11-13. Verily, those (- hypocrites) who brought the false accusation (against âishah, the wife of the Prophet), are a section of your own people. Do not think this (- incident) to be bad for you, rather it is good for you. (As for the accusers,) everyone of them shall receive (his due punishment according to) that which he has accomplished in the form) of sin. As for him (- Abdullâh bin Ubayy bin Salûl) who among them took the principal part thereof (in fabricating and spreading malicious scandal against her) there awaits him a grievous punishment. When you heard of this (accusation) why did not the believing men and believing women have a better opinion in respect of their own people and say, `This (charge) is an obvious lie?' Why did they (- the fabricators of this charge) not bring four witnesses [male and/or female] in support of this (accusation of theirs)? Since they failed to produce the (required) witnesses, it is they who are the very liars in the sight of Allâh.[8]
65:2. And when they are about to reach their prescribed term (of `Iddat) either keep them (by revoking the divorce) in an honourable and fair manner or part with them in honourable and fair manner and two honest and just persons [male and/or female] from among you witness (your decision). (Let the witnesses) bear true testimony for the sake of Allâh (regarding the situation that resulted in the pronouncement of divorce). Thus the person (who acts according to these guidelines and) who believes in Allâh and the Last Day is exhorted. And he who takes Allâh as (his) shield, He will always make a way out (of his ordeals) for him.[9]
Secondly, the above-mentioned stipulation in verse 2:282 is only for contracts and transactions and is not for the common understanding of a witness to an event in daily life for example witness to a crime. Nowhere in Quran can a woman not be the sole witness.
Thirdly, in verse 2:282 when it states – and bring two witnesses from amongst your men; if they are not two men, then a man and two women from whom you will accept their testimony, Quran is merely setting the stage for a possible future need. In doing so, Quran is only expanding the witness pool as a precaution if the witnesses are ever needed, irrespective of statutes of limitations – And let the witnesses not refuse to come if they are called. If a dispute does arise about the transactional matter and when called to testify, there is no requirement in Quran of more than one witness, though more than one may be called upon. In situations where there is a requirement of more than one witness for adjudication of the case, Quran quite explicitly enjoins so – Strike eighty times on the bodies of those who calumniate chaste women and who do not support (their accusation) with four witnesses (24:4); let there be present among you, at the time of making the will, two just persons among you or two others from among the outsiders (5:106).
Fourth, in big scheme of things, in verse 2:282 it is clearly a concession for a woman and her burden is shared by a peer if needed for a testimony. The woman is different than a man in that she could be occupied with issues unique to her gender, for example menstruation, pregnancy, labor, postpartum, menopause, childcare and home maker. Given her situation she may not be physically available, able to travel or bear the rigors of the court etc. Clearly in such extraneous circumstances she has a substitute and in doing so the justice is neither delayed nor denied for the dispute because provision of timely justice is one of the injunctions in Quran, for example:
38:21-22. Have you heard the news of the adversaries (of David) who scaled the rampart of the fortress (to take David unawares in his chamber)? When they intruded upon David and (found that) he had become alert (on account of) them, they said, (by way of an excuse,) `Have no fear. We are two parties litigants. One of us has transgressed against the other, therefore judge between us as justice demands, and delay not (by giving the date of decision,) and guide us (in our litigation) to the fair way.[10] [Emphasis added]
Conversely, it can be implied that if the woman witness is not occupied, then the aide is not needed.
Fifth, “The Holy Qur’an does not say that no case should be decided except on the testimony of two witnesses, but requires ordinarily the calling of two witnesses at the time of the transaction, so that the deficiency of one may be rectified by the other. Cases may be decided on circumstantial evidence as well, which is sometimes stronger than the evidence of witnesses. The Holy Qur’an itself speaks of Joseph’s innocence being established on circumstantial evidence”[11]
It is this emphasis on circumstantial evidence on which Quran makes its case in a different matter when it states about Jesus coming down alive from the cross:
2:72. And (recall also) when you had (nearly) killed a (great) man (- Jesus), then you differed among yourselves respecting it (- the crucifixion). And Allâh will bring to light that (- Jesus did not die on the cross) which you had been hiding.
2:73. So We said, `Judge it in the context of its other circumstances.' That is how Allâh brings the dead (for Jesus being dead to all appearances) to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may refrain (from evil). [12][Emphasis added]
Witnesses are the cornerstone of a justice system. The ultimate role of witness(es) is to prevent a dispute upfront and still if the dispute so arises, then witness(es) help in the resolution the dispute between the affected parties. The fundamental expectation of the disputants from the judge is – judge between us as justice demands, and delay not (38:22) the carrying out of justice in a timely manner while taking into account all the facts i.e. Judge it in the context of its other circumstances(2:73), irrespective of number of witnesses because witnesses too can err, for example:
5.106. O you who believe! when death comes to one of you (and you wish to make your will) let there be present among you, at the time of making the will, two just persons [male and/or female] from among you or two others [male and/or female] from among the outsiders, in case you are journeying in the country and the calamity of death overtakes you. In case you doubt (their honesty in giving evidence), you shall detain both (the witnesses) after Prayer, then let them both swear by Allâh (and bear witness) saying, `We will accept for this (-our oath) no price; (we will bear true evidence) even though he (in whose favour or against we bear evidence) be near of kin, nor will we hide the testimony (enjoined to be borne uprightly) by Allâh, for if we do so, we shall certainly be among the sinners.'
5.107. But if it be discovered that these two have become guilty of sin, then let two others stand in their place from among those (heirs) against whom the (former) two (witnesses) who were in a better position (to give true evidence) are sinfully deposed, and the two (latter witnesses) swear by Allâh (saying), `Surely, our testimony is truer than the testimony of those two and we have not exceeded the bounds of justice (in bearing the evidence) for, in that case, we shall certainly be of the wrongdoers.'
5.108. This way is more likely to ensure that they (-the witnesses) will give the testimony in its true form and nature or atleast they will be afraid that other oaths will be taken after their oaths (to counter them). Therefore take Allâh as a shield and listen (to Him) for Allâh guides not the disobedient people to the way of success.[13]
In Quran, the testimonial capacity of women is equal that of men. It is one of the many areas where distractors of Quran try to stirrup an argument where there is none to begin with. In Quran, the mutual relationships and the respective roles and obligations of men and women in the community are independent yet complementary, compassionate, considerate and cooperative. They are neither adversarial nor competitive.
[1] Al-Baqarah – The Cow: Nooruddin [1a] Al-Maidah – The Table Spread with Food: Nooruddin
[2] ‘taḍilla’ – from [Arabic] Dzalla:To lose one’s way, go astray, fail, disappear, err, wander from, forget, waste, deviate, be misled from the right path, go from the thoughts, wander away, lurch, adjudge to be erring. Dzallatun: Anxiety; Uncertainty; Absence. Dictionary of The Holy Quran, (c) 2010, Abdul Mannan Omar, p. 333.
[2] Al-Araaf – The Height of Discernment: Shabbir Ahmed.
[3] Al-Baqarah – The Cow: Free Minds
[4] Al-Nisa – The Women: Nooruddin
[5] Al-Nisa – The Women: Nooruddin
[6] Al-Maidah – The Table Spread with Food: Nooruddin
[7] Al-Nur – The Light: Nooruddin
[8] Al-Nur – The Light: Nooruddin
[9] Al-Talaq – The Divorce: Nooruddin
[10] Sad – The Truthful God: Nooruddin
[11] Yusuf – Joseph – Verses: 12:26-27: Explanatory footnote: Muhammad Ali – Zahid Aziz
[12] Al-Baqarah – The Cow: Nooruddin
[13] Al-Maidah – The Table Spread with Food: Nooruddin
According to an article published by BBC Urdu the total number of Ahmadiyya community in India is One hundred thousand.…
----Jul 27, 18:49