Celestial rites and worship, sprinkled with a dash of supremacism, illogic and warnings to the cursed infidel. The Koran is a litany of gibberish and most Suras are not only repetitive but highly incongruous not to mention overtly supremacist and universalist. In Islamic theology the El-Lah deity was a pre-Muhammadan moon idol worshipped by the Arabs for millenia. It was the patron deity of Muhammad's clan and family. Al-Lah or El-Lah was a masculine male moon deity, which brought water, dew, the rainy season and cooler temperatures. It was 'married' or matched by the feminine Sun goddess which took life and dessicated existence. Al-Lah or Al-i-lah [the one], would reflect a primitive pastoral society, one prone to brigandage, illiteracy, and under-development in every sphere. Superstition, rituals, and clanship would be hallmarks of such a society.
In this Sura, there is little mention made of the Sun, except to erroneously [as far as real Arab theology is concerned], to turn it into a male deity or god mimicking perhaps the Sun gods of ancient Greece [Apollo], and Persia [Mithra], who were masculine entities and ones venerated by obscure rituals, sacrifices and offerings. The Koran makes mention of both the feminine Sun and the masculine Sun. In Sura 18 the feminine Sun is described as setting in a muddy marsh as it revolves around the earth. Obviously the various writers of the Koran were confused or did not read each others works:
By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour; 091:002
By the Moon as she follows him; 091:003
Celestial worship within the Koran only confirms the obvious – that the moon cult of Al-Lah or Ilah long predates Muhammad and informs Islamic theology. This should give all Moslems pause for consideration. How can a 3.000 year old celestial cult venerating the Sun and Moon be 'the same as' either Judaism or Christianity, in spite of the poor and oftentimes incorrect plagiarism of the Bible and Torah used by the uneducated writers of the Koran? I doubt that many Moslems even have the courage or mental acuity to pose the question.
This Sura states that the 'signs' of Allah including celestial movements 'prove' that Islam is uber-alles. It is tautological and quite insipid, but this irrational proposition is constantly made in the Koran over 400 times.
By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory; 091:004
By the Night as it conceals it; 091:005
By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure; 091:006
By the Earth and its (wide) expanse: 091:007
The implication is simple. If you reject the above 'signs' you are an Unbeliever and must be punished in both this life and the next. Over 500 verses make this claim in the Koran, or over 10% of the text. This Sura goes on to use [yet again] the examples of the pre-Muhammad state of Thamud as an example. For not believing in the signs the Thamudians [see here for more info] were wiped out by the ever-caring, all-loving, ominscient Allah-thing or moon idol.
The Thamud (people) rejected (their prophet) through their inordinate wrong-doing, 091:012
Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed (for impiety). 091:013
But the Apostle of God said to them: "It is a She-camel of God! And (bar her not from) having her drink!" 091:014
Then they rejected him (as a false prophet), and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal (in destruction, high and low)! 091:015
Verses 13 and 14 make no sense. But this is standard fare for the Koran. One can translate the verses in many ways and read a few different scenarios into the text. But they are in the main, unimportant. The end result is very clear. The Thamudians were destroyed for rejecting the El-Lah thing. Such is the fate of all Unbelievers. Even before Islam was invented the Allah idol was busy picking winners and losers from Arab tribes. This entirely Arab-centric focus of the Koran is another clue to its pre-Muhammadan and quite ancient Arab lineage.
[Note: This sura is taken from 'The Holy Quran', translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, reprinted in 1995, Goodword Books. Regarded as one of the best translations from Arabic to English of the Koran.]