Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!husc6!m2c!wpi!shari
From: shari@wpi.wpi.edu (Shari Deiana VanderSpek)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Trouble Posting
Message-ID: <8151@wpi.wpi.edu>
Date: 12 Feb 90 20:24:57 GMT
Reply-To: sadeghi@oxy.edy (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.
Lines: 138
Approved: sadeghi@oxy.edu



	   Mr. Dodd:
>Benham,
	   Behnam!
>
>>  [Quotation from me deleted]
>
>Al-Imran (Family of Jesus) Chapter III, Verse 28
>
>
>Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather
				^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>than believers;  if any do that,  in nothing will there be help
>from God: except by way of precaution, that you may guard yourselves
>from them.  But God cautions you to remember Him.  For the final goal
>is God.

	   In a friday prayer I attended last fall, the lecturer
	   criticized the Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran for
	   translating the word "Auwliya" to "friends and helpers"
	   or "friends." According to him, that word has connotations
	   of 'looking up' to the other person.  So I looked in
	   several translations and found other common translations
	   of the same word, such as "sponsors" or "patrons." Here's
	   a typical alternate translation of the same verse:

	       Believers should not enlist disbelievers as patrons in
	       preference to [other] believers.  Anyone who does so will
	       have nothing to do with God, so you should take
	       precautions against them.  God warns you about Himself;
	       for towards God lies the Goal! (Al-Hajj Ta'lim 'Ali)

	   Which seems fair and just.

>Baqara (The Cow) Chapter II,
>
>verse 105
>
>It is never the wish of those without faith among the People of the Book
			 ^^^^^		     ^^^^^
>(Jews & Christians), or the pagans that anything good should come down
>to you from your Lord.  But God will choose for His special mercy whom
>He will - for God is the Lord of grace abounding.

	   "_those_ without faith _among_ ..." doesn't imply ALL of
	   them.  It is an explicit and clear reference to those
	   Christians and Jews who don't have faith.  It doesn't
	   include those Christians and Jews who do have faith.

>verse 109
>
>Quite a number of the People of the Book (J & C) wish they could turn
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>you back to infidelity after you have believed, for selfish envy, after
>the truth has become manifest to them: but forgive and overlook, till
>God accomplish His purpose; for God has power over everything.

	   Yes, "quite a number of ...," but not all.

>verse 120
>
>Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with you unless you
>follow their form of religion.  Say: "The guidance of God,- that is the
>only Guidance."  Were you to follow their desires after the knowledge
>that has reached you, then you would find no protector or helper
>against God.

	   I.e. follow God's will, not the desires of Jews and
	   Christians.
	   ......................................................

	   The following translation of a verse from chapter 5 proves
	   that there are good and godly people amongst Christians:
						^^^^^^^
	      And nearest among them in love
	      To the Believers wilt thou
	      Find those who say,
	      "We are Christians";
	      Because amongst these are
	      Men devoted to learning
	      And men who have renounced
	      The world, and they
	      are not arrogant.

	   The following translations of verses from the same
	   chapter, again, contradicts your contentions about
	   all Christians and Jews:

	      Those who believe (in the Quran),
	      Those who follow the Jewish (scripture),
	      And the Sabians and the Christians,
	      Any who believe in God,
	      And the Last Day,
	      And work righteousness
	      On them shall be no fear,
	      Nor shall they grieve.

	      ... and if they would but truly observe the Torah and the
	      Gospel and all that has been bestowed upon them by their
	      Sustainer, they will indeed partake of all the blessings
	      of heaven and earth.  Some of them do pursue a right
	      course; but as for most of them- vile indeed is what they
	      do!

	   There are other verses in chapter 2 of the Holy Quran
	   which say the same thing.

	   By the way, since you think that Moslems shouldn't have
	   anything to do with Christians and Jews, how do you deal
	   with the fact that many of the Prophet's companions took
	   refuge with the Christian Abyssinians?  How do you
	   interpret the following translation of verse 3: 64?

	      O People of the Book! Let us come together on a platform
	      that is common between us, that we shall serve naught save
	      God"

	   .........................................................

	   Finally, we should all have in mind God's warning against
	   those who twist God's words to fit their own prejudices:

	   (Translation of 16: 116)

	      But say not--for any false thing
	      That your tongues may put forth,--
	      "This is lawful, and this
	      Is forbidden," so as to ascribe
	      False things to God.  For those
	      Who ascribe false things
	      To God, will never prosper.
	      (In such falsehood)
	      Is but a paltry profit;
	      But they will have
	      A most grievous Penalty

	   Behnam Sadeghi