Prefering man-made laws to the Quran

[Ruhi_Rose]

Recently while surfing the net, I came across a forum called 'Interfaith' that's mostly run by Muslims - a mix of Quran aloners and hadithers (so it seems) - clarifying various topics by comparing the Quranic view with Christian and Jewish ideas.  I made a cursory dash through it.  Few of their thoughts sound correct, but others are quite bizarre.  A couple of so-called Quran aloners sounded like the Free Mind guys and wrote quite a lot a nonsense.   

However, I liked just one post put up by some member in an ongoing thread in which he describes his perception of over-emphasis on the so-called "sunnah" at the cost of abandoning the Quran.  This one made a lot of sense to me.  I would like to share it with you guys, so let me quote it.


Quote:

Thank you  for bringing this up because this is a subject very passionate to me..

When i went down to the masjid, a revert himself was arguing parts of the Quran to me and it turns out that he himself had never read the Quran since reverting,, he had left a wife and 2 children to become Muslim and simply spent all his time in a mosque to "prove" his belief.  He now has a new wife and 2 new children .. yet has still never read the Quran...

How can a man pretend to be a pious Muslim and having not read the Quran.. when it is plain as the nose on my face when all he is following is the 'sunnah'?

He seeks with his eyes "how a Muslim lives" that is, the "sunnah" yet completely disregards the world of Allah (Swt) .. i know this is nothing new because people reverting for false reasons are well known .. to escape or to undo the western view of feminism, infactuation with a beautful sister etc.

But everyone knows on this forum no matter what creed color or name what conjecture is.. and to believe the "sunnah" and the Noble Quran co-exsist AT ALL, let alone compliment each other is painfully so.. its either

a) Raised or constructed belief

or

b) Willing to accept contradiction to become Muslim

In both cases its a severe lack of human intellect.

Its really worrying that in all the mosques i have been to.. people follow the 'sunnah' to the letter yet few have finished the Quran, let alone re-read it many times... i have read the Quran about 40+ times yet some men.. who dress far more orthodox than me.. 30 years older than me.. who make more dua than me.. have never finished it..

It is a strange paradox.. the 'sunnah' makes Islam an upbringing and a lifestyle, not actually submitting your will to Allah.

Why Quranically are jews no longer the chosen people?  for making judaism a breed and not a religion.

Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was a great and pious man.  He did NOT deserve a book of chinese whispers to be called "his path" and to be written 200 years after his death that constantly contradicts the Quran.

It is one of the perculiar ways of sunni orthodoxy.  Just like when shiias praise Hassan and Hussain, it leaves me in shock.

Unquote:

[Zainab_M]

Yeah, very sensible post.  It's unfortunate how the clergy have created the term "sunnah" and are using it to distract people from the Quraan.  As the Quraan says, the Prophet (pbuh) will be a witness against these violators on the Day of Judgment.

And now a bit about this forum.

I too came across it and read a few posts.  It's not too bad, but not good either.  What I did notice was that one of the lead members with ID 'code' presumes too much.  Probably for the sake of a discussion or just to convince his own self, he looks upon some very important narrations of the Quraan as "metaphors."   For example, he explains the entire incident of the Cave as a metaphor "containing parables."  Also, according to him, the mention of Gog and Magog and Dhul Qarnain, the story of Moses travelling in search of knowledge, and the wall which was repaired by Moses' friend are all metaphors depicting either "end of time" or something else.  I still have that piece with me.  Let me quote a few paragraphs from it.

He says about the dilapidated wall that was re-constructed by Moses' co-traveller

Quote ----
I think there is a significance in that story about these end times as well. The wall is rebuilt, but it is meant to fall down, and a treasure revealed for its rightful owners... think about it. What can the treasure be for us? Because for us, the wall has fallen down.

But there is nothing I can say which will convince you if you feel more comfortable with the the majority view.
Unquote -----

I really don't agree with his above views.  No doubt all contents of the Quraan have deep moral lessons for us.  But this incident about Moses and his fellow traveller, like many other narrations of the Noble Quraan, are factual events.  I think it's pretty offensive, both realistically and morally, when people try to change the Quraanic reality into an abstract state of mind through their personal misinterpretations and often for personal reasons.

He also does not believe the very clear and straightforward Quraanic description of Jesus son of Mary speaking from the cradle as literal or real.  Let me quote what he wrote regarding this topic.

Quote -----
The words used to describe Jesus PBUH talking in the cradle, do not neccissarily mean that Jesus PBUH was actually a child in the cradle. Those were just the words uttered by the Rabbis as a derrogatory expression against this young man who was telling them that he had the authority of God, and they should listen to him. They considered Jesus PBUH too young for them to pay any attention to his warnings.
 
Jesus PBUH was a younger prophet then most, but this does not mean that he was actually, literally a child in the cradle, when he began his ministry. This is what the Christians believe... and we are not Christians. It is stated clearly in the Quran that Mary (AS) went away to another place in solitude when she was pregnant with Jesus PBUH... We do not know how long she stayed away from her familly, it could have been years, enough time for Jesus PBUH to grow up into a young man.  
Unquote -----

Now these kinda musings are not a good habit.  Such uncontrolled 'creativity' in the minds of people concerning the Quraan is definitely a move toward a direction full of risks because this is how eventually folks end up philosophizing the Quraan and gradually they go completely amock with misinterpretations .. like those at Free Minds. 

I think, here it's not a matter of accepting the tafsirs of the "majority" or minority.  It's about how each one of us understand the truth.  All of the above incidents which this person has dismissed as metaphors or not literal contents have clearly been specified by the Quraan.  There's no doubt about that.  Allah's words are so explicit that there's absolutely no reason for us to think even for a moment that the above incidents mentioned in the Quraan aren't real .. unless we cross our bounds by getting trapped in the network of presumptions.   Concerning Jesus son of Mary talking in his cradle, this fact has been flatly asserted by the Noble Quraan and whoever says that it shouldn't be taken literally would simply mean that person is rejecting the Quraanic truth and making up their own version.  According to the needless presumptions of member 'code,' when Virgin Mary returned with her son, Jesus, that may have been after several years from the time she left to give birth to him, by which time Jesus might have become a "grown young man."  The following verses of the Quraan reject all such guessworks and confirm that Jesus certainly did talk wisely both from the cradle and as a grown man. 

45. (And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah).
46. He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous. (3:45-46)  Surah Al-Imran

Verse 3:46 clearly states, without any obscurities, that Jesus son of Mary began speaking from his cradle.  Also, the 19th Surah of the Quran, Surah Maryam is in the name of Virgin Mary.   Verses 19:22-30 describe the birth of Jesus, son of Mary.   Let me quote Verses 27 to 30 of this Surah.

27. Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.
28. O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
29. Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy ?
30. He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,  (19:27-30) Surah Maryam

Verse 29 quotes the words of Mary's folks who said "how can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?"  This refutes the presumption of that forum member who said that Jesus son of Mary might have been a "grown young man" by the time Virgin Mary brought him to her family.  A "grown young man" doesn't lie in a cradle.   And Verse 30 confirms that Jesus spoke while in a state of being in the cradle.

It's true that there are certain verses of the Quraan that carry metaphorical meanings but many verses don't.  Those verses that don't, are easy to discern.   It highly sinful on the part of these people to metaphorize whatever they desire for the sake of appeasing modernists and secularists.  For easier integration into non-Muslim societies, you will often notice that the so-called Quraan aloners try to downplay those passages of the Quraan that contain the mention of miracles, and attempt to replace the miralces of the Quraan with metaphorical misinterpretations in tafsirs.  In fact, as we've seen so often, many of them don't like to hear about the Quraan itself being a miracle - and the Glorious Quraan is certainly the most fabulous miracle of the world.  The so-called Quraan aloners' reluctance to accept the Quraan as a miracle is again for the purpose of targetting the Prophet (pbuh).  It saddens them to acknowledge the truth that the Prophet, despite his lack of education, could recite something as perfect as the Glorious Quraan which is certainly the most glittering and beautiful Work of Arabic literature.
 
May Allah (The Highest) grant us right guidance and save us from having a wondering mind filled with personal ideas that make people overlook the truth stated in the Noble Quraan.
 
Praise be to Allah (The Highest).  May He protect us from all of His enemies.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

The post quoted by sister rose is interesting and very sensible.  I fully agree.  I also thank sister Zeynab for putting up the misguided quotes of another member of this interfaith forum.   Sister's analysis is really good and it refutes that guy's versions with very straight-forward references from the Noble Quran.   
 
An old problem - there are a few misconceptions in the minds of many folks about being 'Quran aloners' which they really need to clear.  Otherwise it makes them just as improper as the Hadithers. 
 
Below are some persistent characteristics of so-called  Quran aloners, therefore beware to distinguish between the genuine ones and the phoneys.

(1)  First, being a Quran aloner by some is thought as a monopoly of "ultra-modernists" of the 21st century only.  That's a total misconception.  The concept of being a Quran aloner was first established in the 7th century when Allah Almighty began sending His final Message to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). 

(2)  Second, in conformity with their "modernism" many such folks are of the opinion that being a Quran aloner means allowing your imagination to run wild while writing the tafsirs.  This is evident from the misinterpretations of member 'code' of interfaith forum, just one of many.  It ought to be just the opposite.  As per the principles of the Quran, a true Quran aloner must be extra cautious while interpreting the Quran.  Unfortunately most Quran aloners are not, a characteristic that makes them very similar to Hadithers regarding the misinterpretation and propagation of their own different stories.

(3)   Third, many Quran aloners consider their approach incomplete unless they don't show contempt for the  Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) either discreetly or indiscreetly.  The most 'respectful' among them simply look upon him (pbuh) as someone who brought the Quran and now since the Quran has been delivered to mankind, they are of the opinion that they can ignore the Prophet (pbuh).  How can those who claim to have read the Quran commit such a blatant violation of the Quran?  Even those who show some respect toward the predecessors of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), think it a rule to minimize the status of Prophet Muhammad.  They say that Prophet Muhammad must be respected equally as much as the former Prophets, which is right, but they themselves fail to practice what they preach.  Disregarding the status of the Prophet Muhamamd (pbuh) is itself one of the biggest violations of Quranic laws.  The Quran has been loud and clear in no less than over 25 verses that believers must hold hte Prophet dear to their hearts and respect him as a very special person.  This message of the Quran is undeniable.  The collection of Quranic verses highlighting the Prophet as very special have been quoted in our earlier thread titled Who is this group?

I recall, 3 or 4 years ago I was a member of a Sunni forum called 'Al-Sunnah.'  I don't think this forum exists now.  I wasn't satisfied with the quality of posts I read there.  So I went 'fortune hunting' for better reading material all over the Islamic web.  I recall reading a thread in some forum, the name of which I can't remember, a post put by a so-called Quran aloner.  In reality the guy seemed to be either a non-Muslim or a present-day secularist.  He was propagating that all Prophets to be looked upon equally by addressing Prophets Jesus and Moses with "peace be on him" but addressed Prophet Muhammad simply as "Muhammad."   Thus, he contradicted his own self as he spoke.  I'm afraid but I just can't trust such people and neither can I look upon them as 'Quran aloner' as they claim to be.

(4)  Fourth, and as an outcome of their rebellion against the final Messenger, some of them base their critisizm of the Hadith on their assumption that the Hadiths are authentic.  In other words, their dislike for the Prophet makes them believe that the Prophet was responsible for uttering the Hadiths.  Also, there are some who are not perceptive enough nor interested enough to catch the guile of Hadith.  So,they consider these narrations as the Prophet's words and subsequently end up critisizing the Prophet (pbuh) along with the Hadith.   Nauzbillah!  How misguided can people be !!  Ahadith, that began being written 200 years after the passing away of the Prophet, are not the words of the Prophet.  The absurdities of the Hadith are the responsibility of those who collected and wrote them, NOT that of the Prophet.