James White Responds to Zakir Naik

Dr White responds to some of the weak and unconvincing arguments against the deity of Christ.

Variant Readings - are they all the same?

I have found in my dialogue with Muslims is that they absolutely detest the idea of textual variants in Quranic manuscript. I am yet to find a Muslim who is actually prepared for this kind of discussion and I believe this is due to the openess of Muslim apologists and faux academics making the claim that all Quranic manuscripts are exactly the same. (I have previously challenged this claim here.)

When the Muslim cannot respond to such a claim they tend to employ the Red Herring Fallacy.

A red herring is an argument, given in reply, that does not address the original issue. Critically, a red herring is a deliberate attempt to change the subject or divert the argument. [1]

Their usual Red Herring, if they choose to stick on topic of the Quran instead of digressing to an attack on the Bible, is in regard to the variant readings of the Quran. These variant occur with the addition of vowelisations etc for professionalised recitations to the original Uthmanic text. Now, these variant readings do not usually change the meaning of the Quran and the Muslim will give you the blanket statement that there are no differences in the Quran as a result of these variants. But is this statement true?

In regard to the variant recitations, Professor James A. Bellamy states:

These variants, however - I have counted more than two-hundred that make a difference in the meaning - are important in that they tell us there was no solid oral tradition stemming directly from the prophet to prove which variant was correct. [2]

So, we can see that there are many variants among the readings and Bellamy has recorded over 200 which render a different meaning withing the text. Professor Bellamy then goes on to provide an example:

in Surah 6:63, of the seven readers, the two from Kufah recite 'njyn' (anjana) "he saves us." and the other five 'njytn' (anjay- tana) "you (sg.) save us." These two words sound so dif- ferent that no one, unless he were deaf, could mistake one for the other, and the words on both sides of the word in question are unambiguous. One cannot argue that the prophet used one variant one day and the other the next. Nor can one maintain that there is a firm oral tradition that guarantees the reading of the unambiguous words but breaks down when more than one reading is possible. [3]

In short - beware of taking Muslim claims in regard to the integrity of the Quran at face value. As has been demonstrated above, there are a number of changes in meaning that result from the variant readings of the Quran. I do recommend the article for further reference purposes and it is available on the JSTOR database. If you do not have access to it leave a comment with your email address and I will send a copy your way.


References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_herring_(logical_fallacy)#Red_herring
2. Bellamy, p. 1
3. Bellamy, p.2

Bibliography:

James A. Bellamy (2001), 'Textual Criticism of the Koran'. Journal of the American Oriental Society. Vol. 121 No. 1 (Jan-Mar. 2001), pp. 1-6.

Science Myths: Muhammad or Science?

The Islamic community constantly reminds the world of how their holy books and their prophet Muhammad were scientific geniuses well ahead of their time. Many people take this claim as truthful without asking for evidence – if so many people are repeating it, it must be true? Others who ask for evidence are provided with the worst works to ever be produced in the English language – poor paraphrasing of scientific concepts loosely linked to incoherent and archaic English translations of the Qur’an.

Then there are those who go straight to the sources – to see what Muhammad really knew about science. For those belonging to the last group, this is for you.

Muhammad’s Scientific Knowledge

1. The first humans were 60 cubits tall. That is roughly 90 feet tall or 27metres.

The Prophet said, "Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When He created him, He said to him, "Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations of your offspring." So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, "As-salamu Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi" (i.e. Peace and Allah's Mercy be upon you). Thus the angels added to Adam's salutation the expression, 'Wa Rahmatu-l-lahi,' Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam's creation."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 543

2. House flies – 1 wing causes disease, 1 wing cures disease

The Prophet said "If a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink), for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Number 537

3. Fevers are caused by the hellfire

I used to sit with Ibn 'Abbas in Mecca. Once I had a fever and he said (to me), "Cool your fever with Zam-zam water, for Allah's Apostle said: 'It, (the Fever) is from the heat of the (Hell) Fire; so, cool it with water (or Zam-zam water)."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Number 483

4. Eating dates renders all poisons (and magic) ineffective

Allah's Apostle said, "He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them."

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 65, Number 356
(Also in hadith number 663)

For a consistent argument, the Muslim must accept all their sources. These difficulties must be rationalised before they cherry pick.

Science Myths: Medicinal Properties of Honey and the Qur’an

Once again, Muslims appeal to the claim of ‘science’ in the Qu’ran

Claim:

Only a couple of centuries ago man came to know that honey comes from the belly of the bee. This fact was mentioned in the Qur’aan 1,400 years ago in the following verse:

“There issues From within their bodies A drink of varying colours,
Wherein is healing for men.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:69]

We are now aware that honey has a healing property and also a mild
antiseptic property. The Russians used honey to cover their wounds in World War II.

The wound would retain moisture and would leave very little scar tissue.

Thus the knowledge contained in the Qur’aan regarding honey, its origin and properties, was far ahead of the time it was revealed.

Response:

What we see here are two main claims:

1. The Qur’an was revolutionary in claiming that honey comes from the belly of bees;
2. The Qur’an was revolutionary in suggesting a medicinal use for honey.
   

Thus, the Qur’an was inspired by Allah as these scientific miracles, 1400 years before their time, are testament to.

This claim would be impressive, yet still logically unsound, if it was true. But as with Islamic attempts at proselytisation – it is mere conjecture. A deception employed by Muslims in order to gain converts and raise the prominence of their religion and the Qur'an.

Firstly, I will cover point number one regarding the claim that “only a couple of centuries ago man came to know that honey comes from the belly of the bee.” Secondly, I will cover point two regarding the documented historical use of honey as a medicine prior to the advent of Islam and conception of the Qu’ran. Thirdly, I will challenge the claim that this is proof of the divine origins of the Qur’an.

I. Honey from the Belly of the Bee

The claim, as above, is that the Qur’an prior to the scientific endeavor of any man stated that honey comes from the ‘belly of the bee’. The Qur’anic verse of Surah An-Nahl (16) goes:

And suck from all fruits and flit about the unrestricted paths of their Lord. A drink of various hues comes out of their bellies which contains medicine for men. In this is a sign for those who reflect.
Surah 16:69 (Ahmed Ali)

Here we can see that the claim is found in the Qur’an. However, what are the sources of this claim. By no means was the Qur’an the first to make (or repeat) this claim. Without going into any exegesis for the original source of transmission or the introduction of this idea to the Arab peninsula I will simply quote a prominent work predating the Qur’an by almost a millenium:

“but honey is a liquid that cometh from the stomach and belly of the bee”

The Works of Aristotle by Aristotle (384-322BC)

Aristotle made mention of this fact in passing as it was a well known theory at the time that honey came from the stomach or ‘belly’ of the bee. Hence, the uniqueness of this claim being one in the Qur’an has no factual basis as it is simply in harmony with Greek science from almost a millennium earlier.

II. Medicinal Properties of Honey

The claim that the Qur’an, in harmony with science, attributes healing properties to honey is not usually in doubt:

And suck from all fruits and flit about the unrestricted paths of their Lord. A drink of various hues comes out of their bellies which contains medicine for men. In this is a sign for those who reflect

Surah 16:69 (Ahmed Ali)

Note, the general rendering of “feehi shifaon lilnnasi” in English is “having/containing healing properties for men/mankind.”


However, in the historical and geographical context of Muhammad and the Qur’an there is nothing special, unique or revolutionary about this claim. We could turn back to Aristotle of the 4th Century BC Greece and his works outlining multiple medical uses of honey and its effect on the healing process. However, we can also go further back into the past.

For 4000 years writes have described medicinal, pharmaceutical and health-giving properties attributed to honey. Traditional medicine used honey for treating many disorders… (Komolfare, 1995 cited in ‘The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting', Eva Crane)


Records of people covering wounds with honey stretch back to ancient Egypt and as Dioscorides reported in 50 AD, honey is “good for all rotten and hollow ulcers”. (‘Wound-healing Properties of Honey – more than 4,500 years of results’)


Famous ancient physicians who used honey include Aristotle (384-322 BC), who mentions pale honey "good as a salve for sore eyes and wounds", and Dioscorides (c.50 AD) who mentions it for ulcers. (‘The History of Honey as Medicine’)

As is evident, within the ancient world the use of honey for medicinal purposes was by no means a new science. For thousands of years prior to Muhammad making mention of this in the Qur’an, we have documented evidence of the medical use of honey in healing. Thus, the claim of the Qur’an revolutionizing the field of medicine in advance of scientific discovery is truly false.

III. Evidence for Divine Origin

As is evident, there was nothing unique of the claim that honey comes from the ‘belly’ of the bee or that honey can be used for heeling properties. Both of these facts were well known facts. However, if the Muslim insists in favour of their assertion, they must also accept Aristotle's work, among others, as being from Allah.


Further References:

The Healing Hand: Man and Wound in the Ancient World by Guide Marjno, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1975
‘The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting’ by Eva Crane, 1999
The Works of Aristotle by Aristotle, Project Guttenberg