12. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE QUR’AN’S
CHALLENGE (3)
In April 1999 Wine Press and “Project Omega 2011” a group
of Evangelic in Texas released a book in Arabic called الفُرْقَان اْلحَقّ (al-Furqān al-Ḥaqq, “The True
Criterion”, The True Furqan) which took seven years to complete as the
project started in 1991. The book is claimed to be revelation to a prophet
under the pseudonym of الصَّفِيّ (al-Ṣafī, “the Pure
one”, Al Saffee).
According
to Anis Shorrosh, a Palestinian Christian Missionary who emigrated to the
United States, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is “the Antichrist” and he calls
the book “a tool to liberate Muslims” and to convert them to Christianity.
According to him this is an attempt to respond the challenge of the Qur’an that
none can create a work like it. This book is similar to the Quran "but
contains the gospel message." He said:
“The prophet of Arabia challenged the entire
world to compose a book equal to the Quran. We
accepted the challenge as stated
in Surah 17:88.
The outcome is The True Furqan.
Our second purpose
is to present the Good News of
Jesus the Christ to our
fellow Arabs in the prose and poetic style of the
classical language of the Arabic
Quran.”
The title of the book and the name of its author are well-chosen to
imitate the Qur’an. The Qur’an has many names, among which is al-Furqān,
meaning the criterion between truth and falsehood; but this True Furqan is
not the Furqān (Qur’an) in the hands of Muslim which the author considers
not true. The epithet of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. who received the
revelation al-Furqān (Qur’an) is الْمُصْطَفَى (al-Muṣṭafá, “the Chosen one), which is derived from the word صَفِيّ (Ṣafī), Al Saffee, which is the name adopted
by the author of the True Furqān .
According to Dr. Bassām ‘Alī al-‘Amῡsh, Ass.
Prof. Faculty of Sharī‘ah, Univ. al-Zarqā, ‘Amman, Jordan, who was doing his
research on this True Furqan , the mysterious author Al Saffee, who
claimed to be a prophet, was Anis Sorrosh himself, whereas the person who
translated it into English, was his wife called Al Mahdy. Both of them belong to the Executive
Committee in charge of recording, translating and publishing of the book, the True Furqan.
Dr. Anis Shorrosh, was known in the Muslim world for his response to the
challenge of the late Ahmad Deedat in two debates. The first one, entitled “Is
Jesus God?” took place in December, 1985 at Royal Albert Hall in London. The second one took place in Birmingham, UK on 7 August 1988, entitled
“The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word?”
The book is also called “The 21st Century Quran”, in Arabic and
English, and was distributed to children in Kuwait in the private English
school. It was also intended to be passed out by American soldiers to Iraqi
civilians. It contains 77 chapters (sūrahs)
in over 366 pages, including al-Fātiḥah
(the Opening), al-Masīḥ (Messiah), al-Thālūth (the Triune God),
al-Ṣalb (the Crucifixion), al-Injīl (the Gospel), al-Ru‘āt
(the Shepherds), al-Jannah (Paradise), al-Asāṭīr (the Legends), al-Taḥrīf
(Plagiarism), and al-Mākirīn (the Conspirators). Instead of Bismillāh
al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm (“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful”) each surah of this True
Furqan begins with
بِسْمِ الآبِ الْكَلِمَةِ الرُّوْحِ الإلهِ
الْوَاحِدِ الْأوْحَد
“In the Name of the Father, the Word, the Holy
Spirit, the One and Only
True God”.
The introductory chapter of this book which also consists of seven
verses is called al-Basmalah¸ translated as “the Blessing”. In Arabic
the term ”basmalah” is originally bismillāh, which means “in the
name of Allah”, but the word “Allah” is not mentioned there; rather, it is the
name of the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this introductory
chapter should be called basmalab, because it starts with bismil-ab (“in
the name of the Father…”), instead of bismillāh, as if it is intended to
confuse Muslims. Moreover, it is only in this chapter where this basmalah
is preceded with the word qul (“say”).
In its “Special Introduction” the book is directed to “the Arab nation
specially, and the Muslim world collectively”. In other words, the objectives
of this book are to convert non-Arab Muslims in general, and Arab Muslims in
particular, to Christianity, to attack and discredit Islam and the Muslims, and
to cast doubt on the truth of Islamic
laws. It is an attempt to confuse some ignorant people by giving the Christian
Gospel message the appearance of a Qur’anic style. However, anyone who has read
the book, the original or the English translation will soon see that this document,
the True Furqan, does not have the arrangement, the style, the
confidence, or the unique content found in the Qur’an. It is a desperate
measure to find some way to convert the Muslims. On 7 September 2005 the
government of India in its decree No: 78/NT prohibited this book, the True
Furqan, from entering the country.
This attempt to imitate the style of
the Qur’an is the reminiscent of very early attempt in the early period of
Islam, and all of them ended with failure. For example, Musaylamah bin Ḥabīb,
whose epithet (laqb) was “the Liar” (d. 11 A.H. in the battle of Yamamah)
who claimed to be a prophet beside Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said that it
was revealed to him:
الْفِيلُ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ
مَا الْفِيلُ، لَهُ ذَنَبٌ وَبِيلٌ، وَخُرْطُومٌ طَوِيلٌ. ) الفيل(
The
elephant. And what will make you know
what the
elephant is? It has a unhealthy (disastrous)
tail, and
a long trunk (Elephant)
This verse is the copy of the
following verse:
الْقَارِعَةُ. مَا الْقَارِعَةُ. وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ (القارعة:1-3)
The striking Hour (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)!
What
is the
striking (Hour)? And what will make you
know what
the striking (Hour) is? (Q. 101:1-3)
In
this verse, Allah talked about a very important topic, namely, the Day of
Resurrection, not about the elephant.
Another examples in what he called sῡrat al-Nisā’ is:
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِاْلحُبْلَى، أَخْرَجَ
مِنْهَا نَسْمَةً تَسْعَى، مَا بَيْنَ صِفَاقٍ وَحَشَا.
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the
pregnant women? He brought forth from them
living
creatures
moving forward between the underskin
and the womb
(Women)
This verse is the copy of sūrat al-Fīl,
as follows:
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ
رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ (الفيل:1)
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the
owners of
the Elephant? (Q. 105:1)
Instead of dealing with pregnant women, Allah
talked about the army with an elephant which came from Yemen under the command
of Abrahah al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka‘bah in Makkah and to build its
substitute in Yemen, so that people would go there for pilgrimage. It happened
in the year the Prophet was born, and it was called “the Year of the Elephant” عَام الْفِيل) ). The Ka‘bah was unprotected by
the Quraysh, because they believed that Allah Himself would protect it as it is
His Own House. Then Allah sent them flocks of birds, striking them with stones
of baked clay, and rendered them like straw eaten up.
Another invented verse is as follows:
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ
الْأَعْلَى، الَّذِي يَسَّرَ عَلىَ اْلحُبْلىَ، فَأَخْرَجَ
مِنهَا نَسْمَةً تَسْعَى، مِنْ بَينِ أَحْشَاء وَمِعىَ (النساء)
Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High,
Who
facilitated
pregnant women, so He brought forth from
them
living creatures between wombs and
intestines
(Women)
This is a copy of the following verse:
سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الْأَعْلَى. الَّذِي خَلَقَ
فَسَوَّى. وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَى.
وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ
الْمَرْعَى. فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَى (الأعلى:1-5)
Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who
creates, then makes complete, and Who makes (things)
according to a
measure, then guides (them to their
goal).
And Who brings forth
herbage. Then makes it
dried up,
dust-coloured. (Q. 87:1-5)
The invented verse talks about the
facilitation for pregnant women to give birth, whereas the Qur’an talks about
the creation in general and its perfection, measure, and guidance. Then Allah
brought forth grass and plants, which eventually dried up. It is about life and
death, represented by the growth of plants then their death, being dried up.
In the
following verse the word إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا (“Truly, We have set…”), namely, “Allah” is
replaced with (إِذْ جَعَلَ الشَّيطَانُ... (الفرقان:13 (“When Satan has
set..”), in the True Furqān to indicate that it was Satan, not
Allah, who had done the deed, as the verse was believed to have been inspired
by Satan.
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَى
قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا (الكهف:57)
Truly, We [namely, Allah], have set veils over
their
hearts
lest they should understand (this
Qur’an), and
in their
ears deafness… (Q. 18:57)
Here,
according to the True Furqān, it was not Allah Who did it, but
rather, it was Satan who did it.
In defending the belief in Trinity and rationally
justifying it, the True Furqān says:
“It is not proper for you to argue with our
believing
servants
concerning their faith, and consider them
disbeliever because of your disbelief, it is the same
whether
We reveal Ourself as One, Three, or Ninety-nine,
so, do
not say of what you have no knowledge, and I
know
better those who go astray.” (Tawḥīd:2)
What
this verse means is that do not bother with the belief in the Trinity as one
God, just like the 99 names of Allah, also the one God. But the comparison is
totally unacceptable. In the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and
the Holy Ghost, as one God, are three personalities, namely, God the Father is
not God the Son, who is not the Holy Ghost who is not God the Father. This is
mystery in Christianity which a dogma the Christians have to believe. In Islam,
Allah has 99 names or attributes, but He remains one God. Allah is Himself al-Raḥmān
(the Most Gracious) is Himself al-Raḥīm (the Most Merciful), is Himself al-Malik
(the King), and so on. Allah says:
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ
الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ
الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (الحشر:23)
He is Allah, besides Whom there is no god; the
King,
the Holy, the Giver of peace, the Granter of
security,
Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the
Supreme.
Glory be to Allah above all that they
associate as partners with Him (Q. 59:23)
In this verse eight of ninety-nine names and attributes of Allah are
mentioned. Other names and attributes of Allah are mentioned in other verses
scattered throughout the Qur’an. So, if we ask Allah’s Compassion and Mercy we
say Yā Raḥmān (O the Most Gracious), Yā Raḥīm (O the Most
Merciful); if we ask Allah’s generosity we say Yā Karīm (O the Generous
One), if we ask Allah forgiveness, we say, Yā Ghaffār (O the Forgiving), Yā Ghafūr (O the Forgiver and Hider of
Faults), and so on with the remaining names and attributes of Allah. We call
Him with many names, and He remains One God, Allah. (CIVIC, 28February, 2014)
Sources:
المكتبة الشاملة
The True Furqan. Sacramento:
Omega 2001 & Wine Press, 1999.
http://azadieiran2.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-true-furqan-alforghan-alhagh_www-azadieiran2-wordpress-com.pdf
http://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%86_%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_True_Furqan.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Deedat
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