Islamic Finance Prohibits Interest and Conventional Insurance
At my age of 33, a one million dollar life insurance policy is just $70 a month (20 year term). After 20 years, it would probably be around $300 a month for the next 20 years after that.
So here’s a question. Why wouldn’t I want to do this for my family? Being the primary breadwinner, if I died, it would be a major disaster to my wife and kids. They would have to scramble to find an alternate source of income to pay the bills while having to cope with the loss of their spouse / father.
All these years, I never got life insurance. Infact I told my wife if I ever die, don’t use the life insurance that my company gives you (probably $50k-100k) because its haram. Instead figure out another way to survive
Does this make sense?
I also remember the story of a Somali family in Waterloo that their house burned down, and they had no insurance. SubhanAllah! They were outside the masjid begging for money as they had a big family and no house now (or at least a damaged house).
Why would we want to go through this?
I even remember a Muslim brother who was in Hizbut Tahrir who decided to drive illegally without auto insurance because it was haram.. What a risk he was taking.. Imagine he killed someone? Infact he actually got into a car accident and somehow managed to hurriedly get car insurance to get out of this mess.
If someone wants to tell me insurance is gambling, I would say that is silly. The reason the bank can afford to give me a 1million dollar policy for just $70 a month is because in all likelihood, I will not die in the next 20 years. It’s based on the math. It works out well for both the buyer and the insurer.
Does this rule improve the lives of Muslims? I don’t think so.
If the Quran is timeless and uncreated, how is it that it can be abrogated. Does God change his mind? Why would he need to adjust it on demand and based on the circumstances? If Allah decided the previous revelations could be corrupted because the final one is coming next, wouldn’t this one be really final, and not adjusted here and there piecemeal? There is a very troubling story in the hadith literature about the Quran being adjusted on request of a blind man.
The Quran is the uncreated word of God. It was revealed by Allah in entirety in to lawh-al-mahfood
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. (Quran 97:1)
And [it is] a Qur’an which We have separated [by intervals] that you might recite it to the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down progressively. (Quran 17:106)
With this in mind, does it make sense that God decided to cancel out some of the verses or cause them to be forgotten and then replace them with similar other ones? Or does it make more sense that during the 23 year career of Prophet Muhammad he forgot some of the verses and was called out for it? Thus the Quran came to his defense that God himself causes some verses to be forgotten and gives him better ones.
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent? (Quran, 2:106)
Here are references from the sunnah where the Quran was changed. The most freaky example to those with eman is the following story: Zaid was told by Prophet Muhammad to write down a revelation of Allah regarding the believers who stay behind are not equal to those that fight. Then Amr bin Um Maktum (the same blind man regarding Surah Abasa) asked “what about me..?”. And then the Prophet told Zaid to cancel the old verse and gave him a different verse that included an exception for blind men who could not fight. Apparently Allah either forgot about blind men, or needed a suggestion from humans on what to include in his divine eternal revelation?
Narrated Al-Bara:
There was revealed: ‘Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause of Allah.’ (4.95) The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Call Zaid for me and let him bring the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the scapula bone and the ink pot).”‘ Then he said, “Write: ‘Not equal are those Believers who sit..”, and at that time `Amr bin Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting behind the Prophet (ﷺ) . He said, “O Allah’s Apostle! What is your order For me (as regards the above Verse) as I am a blind man?” So, instead of the above Verse, the following Verse was revealed: ‘Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame etc.) and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah.’ (4.95)
Recorded in Bukhari, Bukhari, Nasai, Muslim, Abu Dawud
Or how about the fact that the female companions of Prophet Muhammad felt the Quran was unfair because it kept addressing men, and so Allah decided to reveal a verse talking about women as well?
Take a look at this story as recorded in Ibn Kathir
Sa`id bin Mansur recorded that Salamah, a man from the family of Umm Salamah said, “Umm Salamah said, `O Messenger of Allah! Allah does not mention women in connection with Hijrah (Migration).’ Allah sent down the Ayah,
(So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), “Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.)
Yet again we have Allah adjusting what he sends down in response to what people are asking for?
There’s another story in the hadith literature about when Prophet Muhammad scared the people by saying 999 of every 1000 will go to hell. When he saw their faces change color, he decided to adjust what he said by saying “actually, its Gog and Magog who will be 999, not you guys.” Then he proceeded to make them very happy by saying they will be half of the people in paradise after just scaring them. Prophet Muhammad was able to cater and tailor what he said in order to make people follow him.
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “On the day of Resurrection Allah will say, ‘O Adam!’ Adam will reply, ‘Labbaik our Lord, and Sa`daik ‘ Then there will be a loud call (saying), Allah orders you to take from among your offspring a mission for the (Hell) Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘O Lord! Who are the mission for the (Hell) Fire?’ Allah will say, ‘Out of each thousand, take out 999.’ At that time every pregnant female shall drop her load (have a miscarriage) and a child will have grey hair. And you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet not drunk, but severe will be the torment of Allah.” (22.2)
When the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned this), the people were so distressed (and afraid) that their faces got changed (in color)
Whereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “From Gog and Magog nine-hundred ninety-nine will be taken out and one from you.
You Muslims (compared to the large number of other people) will be like a black hair on the side of a white ox, or a white hair on the side of a black ox, and I hope that you will be onefourth of the people of Paradise.” On that, we said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be) one-third of the people of Paradise.” We again said, “Allahu-Akbar!” Then he said, “(I hope that you will be) one-half of the people of Paradise.” So we said, Allahu Akbar.”
There are even worse examples of the Quran being abrogated:
They used to recite a surah the length of Surah Tawba (also known as Surah Baraah) but it was forgotten (Muslim 1050). One of the verses he remembered is still read today as a hadith that talks about the greed of mankind (Bukhari 6439)
Umar mentioned there were verses about stoning that were abrogated (Agreed upon, Bulugh al-Maram 1050).
Aisha also said that there used to be verses about stoning and breastfeeding in the Quran (Ibn Maja 1944)
The primary sources (Quran and Sunnah) clearly state that apostates should be killed. All of the statements about killing for apostasy seem to come from the hadith literature, and the Quran doesn’t quite indicate a punishment for apostasy. The sunnah paints a clear picture regarding killing apostates
This is one of the biggest problems to me in the Quran. The Quran paints a picture of the world that seems incorrect. It describes the world in such a way that a 7th century person in Arabia would have described it. It does not describe the world according to the way the Creator of the Universe would have known it.
Or if we go by what makes more sense, maybe it wasn’t written by God. Maybe it was actually written by a man in the 7th century?
If you look at the verses that mention the sun’s orbit (falak, which means rounded or curved course) it is almost always in the context of night and day. It looks much more likely that the meaning is that the sun takes its path every day rather than that it is talking about its orbit around the galaxy once every 225 million years, which has no relevance to human timescales.
If you look at these verses it seems that the sun’s path can be seen by the bedouins listening to Muhammad
Do you not see that Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allah, with whatever you do, is Acquainted? (Quran 31:29)
and is a token (ayat – sign) that the listeners should be able to understand:
A token unto them is night. We strip it of the day, and lo! they are in darkness and the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise. And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she return like an old shrivelled palm-leaf. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit. (Quran 36:37-40)
Again it is mentioned in the context of the night day cycle. Or look at this verse:
And the moon darkens And the sun and the moon are joined (Quran 75:8-9)
This would require the moon to fly 98 million miles into the sun, which is 600 times the diameter of the moon. It would be a very strange apocalyptic plan, but is much more plausible as something a 7th century person would imagine, as it looks to them as if the sun and moon are about the same size and distance from the earth. Related to this are verses that say:
By the sun and his brightness, And the moon when she followeth him (Quran 91:1-2)
It all fits very well with the view that a 7th century Arab would have that the sun and moon are about the same size and distance and traverse a similar path across the sky.
Here is an external links that explain these points:
This is one issue. The Quran repeatedly refers to the sky as if its a solid structure or object. It even talks about how Allah “holds up” the sky, the firmament , and prevents it from falling on us.
Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah , to the people, is Kind and Merciful.
(Quran 22:65)
It is Allah who erected the heavens without pillars that you [can] see; then He established Himself above the Throne and made subject the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. He arranges [each] matter; He details the signs that you may, of the meeting with your Lord, be certain. (Quran 13:2)
And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]
(Quran 78:12)
This picture describes the Babylonian universe. As you can see they also believed in multiple heavens with the water above it..
The same idea existed in the Bible too. There is this idea of a physical firmament.
Then there is the issue of the sun going below the throne of Allah. Prophet Muhammad seemed to have thought that the sun went somewhere when it set, and that somewhere was below the throne of Allah. Yet in reality the sun is actually not setting, but rather the Earth is rotating in a certain way so that it seems to be setting. Apologists of course will try to make sense of this in some way or another, but the most obvious and apparent meaning is that Prophet Muhammad misunderstood how the world worked. In today’s age where we know that the sun sets on our part of the world, but its actually rising on another part, its hard to make sense of this explanation
And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. (Quran 36:38)
This verse was explained by the Prophet:
Abu Dharr reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the (implication of the) words of Allah, the Exalted: The sun glides to its appointed resting place. He replied: Its appointed resting place is under the Throne. (Muslim 1.309)
And in more detail here where the Prophet actually was with Abu Dharr when the sun set, and he explained to him where the sun goes:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one day said:
Do you know where the sun goes? They replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Verily it (the sun) glides till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it falls prostrate and remains there until it is asked: Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out from its rising place and then glides till it reaches its place of rest under the Throne and falls prostrate and remains in that state until it is asked: Rise up and return to the place whence you came, and it returns and emerges out from it rising place and the it glides (in such a normal way) that the people do not discern anything ( unusual in it) till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it would be said to it: Rise up and emerge out from the place of your setting, and it will rise from the place of its setting. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said. Do you know when it would happen? It would happen at the time when faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed or has derived no good from the faith. (Muslim 1:306)
Okay, we know that the sun does not actually set. It does not actually go anywhere. It’s staying in the same relative spot while the Earth spins around it. Note: Technically all of us are hurling through space, but this point is irrelevant to our discussion here Source: Tumblr
What if Allah didn’t want to freak out the people by describing the world in a way they didnt understand? Well he already did that when He told them that they will be raised up after death. When the Prophet claimed he went to Jerusalem in one night. So that obviously cant be the reason.
Maybe Allah didn’t want to correct the scientific misunderstandings of the time?
To me this is one of the biggest issues in the Quran. I cannot see how the creator of the universe would describe the world in such an awkward and incorrect way. He could have said it in a way that was vague enough so that it wouldn’t have upset the people of the time, yet still be true to this day.
Our observations, in this case our reading of biblical and Qur’anic statements about the natural world, look exactly as you would expect them to look if there was no new knowledge being revealed—just what was the human understanding of the day. That is, they look as if there is no God who speaks to humanity through scriptures or other revelations. (quote from Victor Stenger, God the failed hypothesis)
We have to ask, why would God
Allow information in the book that seems wrong
Repeatedly describe the world in a way that is accurate to 7th century humans but inaccurate to us
Allow confusion in a way that those in the future have to reinterpret the words in order to make them make sense
If the punishment is so severe, eternal damnation for eternity, why allow such doubts into His book?
As part of my research into the Quran, this was one of the biggest problems I ran into. The story of Dhul Qarnayn has so many issues. I spent days reading and reading everything I could find on this topic until I came to the conclusion that this story is not from God. At the end of this post I have links for further reading as there is a lot more detail than I put here. Note: if you prefer videos to reading, check out Videos on Dhul Qarnayn, otherwise, read on!
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