Thursday, May 7, 2009
Suffering through the Koran – Sura 11 named 'Hud'
Well written, concise, beautiful, clear, charitable, loving – oh wait, sorry, wrong book.
by Ferdinand III
Hud was supposedly a Yemeni 'Prophet' who lived during the 3rd millenium B.C. He was sent by the wondrous, all-knowing, eye in the sky – Allah – to warn his people the 'Ad, to follow the moon cult or else. There is no historical proof of this Hud's existence, nor of his 'people's' submission to male moon deity of Mecca. This Sura of course makes little sense, either in its placement, its language, or in its convoluted ideal that a bronze-age Yemeni magi was somehow a Prophet of Islam. The intent however is obvious. All Arabs including Yemeni's have a long history of serving Allah, therefore they need to obey Mohammed and his cult and their fairy-tale book, the Koran.
The Sura is largely gibberish. Hud the person is never explained. His people, named the 'Ad, are never given context or descriptions. The reader has no idea what Hud's position was within the 'Ad state, what his importance might be, or why the 'Ad needed to be warned by yet another bronze age messenger sent by the never-defined Allah. As such the entire Sura reads as a collection of nonsense.
The Koranic scribblers who put together this vapid tract did not feel the need to enlighten the Arab reader with any particulars. Obviously most readers would have known through Arab oral tradition the story of Hud and the 'Ad. Putting it in the Koran only reinforces the relevance of the book as some holy tract which subsumes all Arab ideas, cultural artifacts, and cults.
In short the Koran needs to act as the over-arching document encompassing all of Arabia's history, spiritual affiliations and cult associations.
Nevertheless the Hud story is not explained and the Sura as read does not make any sense. Sura 11 is in essence repetitive gibberish from previous Sura's. It bounces around between justifying the Koran, copying the Jewish bible; and going through the list of Jewish prophets who were sent to promote the word of Allah. There is not a single passage about Hud which includes a description of who he was; where he lived; or about the state or the people of 'Ad. There is only this:
50. To the 'Ad People (We sent) Hud, one of their own brethren. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) you do nothing but invent!
This might surprise the people of Yemen. Apparently one of their leaders – Hud – a bronze age magi or politician living some 3000 years before Mohammed, was in actual fact, a representative of the Meccan male moon deity ali-ilah and its cult. Hud might very well have been part of a Yemeni moon-worship practice. Moon cults were of course widespread throughout the Near East from Neolithic times. But it is highly doubtful that Hud, the 'Ad, or any peoples who had some spiritual connection with the phases of the moon, would recognise such practices as belonging to a Meccan moon deity named Allah.
But it makes nice Mohammedan – Arab propaganda. What was once Yemeni is now Mohammed's. It is about as logical a claim as Hitler's assertion of Lebensraum, or the Nazi preoccupation with naming treasures, mountains and myths around the world, in language designed to Nazify the object and appropriate it.
But okay, now the Yemeni's according to this Sura have a long history of Allah adulation. Sure. In fact, like most Sura's this chapter is so poorly written, and so dis-organised, one wonders about the sanity of the authors. It is very hard to know what the purpose of this nonsense is, but there seems to be 3 main ideas:
1) Justifying to an Arab and Yemeni reader, the divine nature of the Koran:
13. Or they may say, “He forged it.” Say, “You then bring ten Suras forged, like unto it, and call (to your and whomsoever you can, other than Allah!) - if you speak the truth!
Note: 'They' are of course the Jews and dis-believng Arabs. This verse makes no sense. It states that the Koran is real, because 'they' could never make 10 Suras from Allah. No thinking person could make up 10 Suras of such nonsense.
14. “If then they (your false gods) do not answer your (call), you (should) know that this Revelation is sent down (replete) with the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no god but He! Will you even then submit (to Islam)?”
Note: Rather clear. Mohammed's words come from the Moon God. Since this Moon God was also the one who sent Hud and other Prophets, you better listen to the madness of Mohammed or else !
23. But those who believe and work righteousness, and humble themselves before their Lord – they will be Companions of the Garden, to dwell therein for ever!
Note: This sentence is one of the few which is coherent. It even sounds nice. But note what it really says. 'Work righteousness' simply means to follow the Koran. All things in the Koran are righteous. Follow the Koranic-Sharia program and you will be on the right path in life. Humbling oneself to the Lord, means prostration to Allah. If you are humble before Allah and follow his dictums, you will be allowed into paradise.
2) Punishment and death for those who disobey Allah:
16. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein, and of no effect are the deeds they do !
59. Such were the 'Ad People: they rejected the Signs of their Lord and Cherisher; disobeyed His Messengers; and followed the command of every powerful, obstinate transgressor.
58. So when Our decree issued, We saved Hud and those who believed with him, by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe Penalty.
Note: In 58 the authors sound deranged. 'We' refers to Muslims. So 3000 years before Islam, 'We the Muslims' decided to save the true believer Hud and his followers and destroy everyone else. No reasons are given for the annihilation of human life – except that they did not sufficiently believe in Allah. Is that really what a divine being does ? He watches every human and those who are not sufficiently humble enough are killed ?
3) Jewish Prophets were Messengers of Allah
The entire Sura is filled with plagiarism from the Jewish bible. The idea is simple enough. To entice the large centers of Jews in Arabia and Yemen to convert, the Koranic writers simply took all Jewish practices and their Prophets and made them part of Allah's cult. It is highly doubtful that any pious Jew would accept such a 'revelation'.
Noah, Moses and Abraham are transformed into followers of Allah. The intent is obvious. Try and convince the Jews that their Jehovah is really Allah. But for anyone who has bothered to read the Jewish bible and the Old Testament, this would be viewed for what it is – a bold-faced lie.
Jehovah has nothing in common with Allah. Allah has no personality, no description, no detail and no anthropomorphic characteristics. Jehovah does. Jehovah is a personal, human god, full of changing personalities, objectives and attitudes. Allah is completely impersonal and unknown. If one reads the Old Testament the differences are stark and massive. Allah is an Arab moon deity. Jehovah is a humanized form of a divine being who has attached his attentions and devotions to the Hebrews. You can argue that both are inappropriate or illogical. But the derivatives of the Jewish Jehovah – the Golden Rule, the right of the individual, free will, tolerance and humility – have no equal in the Koran. Allah simply demands obedience and submission.
The goal of Sura 11 is obvious. It was written to impress Yemeni Arabs and Jews as to the power and credibility of Allah and his Koranic program. It is an imperialist chapter. It designs to convert or cajole Yemenis to the cause of Mohammed. Submit and the Gardens of heaven will be open to you. Reject Allah and fire and death will be your reward.
Such a dichotomy is not the hallmark of a religion or a program of spirituality.