Abrogation, proof, and Allah's coloring
106
Nothing of our revelation (even a single verse) do we abrogate or cause be forgotten, but
we bring (in place) one better or the like thereof. Knowest thou not that Allah is Able
to do all things?
107
Knowest thou not that it is Allah unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; and ye have not,
beside Allah, any guardian or helper?
Nothing in the Quran, not a single verse, is wrong -- except for the verses that are wrong, that is.
And we (Allah) will replace them later with better verses. [1]
108
Or would ye question your messenger as Moses was questioned aforetime? He who chooseth disbelief instead of faith, verily he hath
gone astray from a plain road.
109
Many of the people of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers
after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest
unto them. Forgive and be indulgent (toward them) until Allah give command. Lo! Allah is Able
to do all things.
Don't question anything Muhammed says or choose disbelief over faith.
The people of the Scriptures (the Jews and Christians) know that the Muslims are correct in their beliefs, so they try to make Muslims
disbelievers because they envy the truth that they know the Muslims have.
Be nice to them until Allah gives you the signal (to not be nice anymore).
110
Establish worship, and pay the poor-due; and whatever of good ye send before (you) for your
souls, ye will find it with Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of what ye do.
Pay your taxes to help poor people.
111
And they say: None entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their
own desires. Say: Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful.
112
Nay, but whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah while doing good, his reward is
with his Lord; and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
When they (the Christians and Jews) say, "No one enters paradise unless they are a Christian or a Jew."
Say to them, "Prove that your beliefs are true." [2]
113
And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians
say the Jews follow nothing (true); yet both are readers of the Scripture. Even thus speak those who know
not. Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ.
The Jews say the Christians are wrong, and the Christians say the Jews are wrong. [3]
Yet both read the scriptures.
114
And who doth greater wrong than he who forbiddeth the approach to the sanctuaries of
Allah lest His name should be mentioned therein, and striveth for their ruin. As for
such, it was never meant that they should enter them except in fear. Theirs
in the world is ignominy and theirs in the Hereafter is an awful doom.
115
Unto Allah belong the East and the West, and whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah's Countenance. Lo! Allah is All-Embracing,
All-Knowing.
116
And they say: Allah hath taken unto Himself a son. Be He glorified! Nay, but whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth is His.
All are subservient unto Him.
117
The Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.
Allah will make their lives miserable in this world and torture them forever after they die.
118
And those who have no knowledge say: Why doth not Allah speak unto us, or some sign come unto us? Even thus, as they now speak,
spake those (who were) before them. Their hearts are all alike. We have made clear the revelations for people
who are sure.
Pay no attention to those who say, "Why doesn't Allah speak to us, or give us a sign?"
Our revelations are clear to those that already believe that our revelations are clear.
119
Lo! We have sent thee (O Muhammad) with the truth, a bringer of glad tidings and a warner.
And thou wilt not be asked about the owners of hell-fire.
120
And the Jews will not be pleased with thee, nor will the Christians, till thou follow their creed. Say:
Lo! the guidance of Allah (Himself) is Guidance. And if thou shouldst follow their desires after the
knowledge which hath come unto thee, then wouldst thou have from Allah no protecting guardian nor
helper.
We sent Muhammad with the truth.
121
Those unto whom We have given the Scripture, who read it with the right reading, those
believe in it. And whoso disbelieveth in it, those are they who are the
losers.
We gave you the scriptures.
Those who disbelieve in them are losers.
122
O Children of Israel! Remember My favour wherewith I favoured you and how I preferred you to (all) creatures.
123
And guard (yourselves) against a day when no soul will in aught avail another, nor will compensation be accepted from it, nor will
intercession be of use to it; nor will they be helped.
124
And (remember) when his Lord tried Abraham with (His) commands, and he fulfilled them, He said: Lo! I have appointed thee a leader for
mankind. (Abraham) said: And of my offspring (will there be leaders) ? He said: My covenant includeth not wrong-doers.
125
And when We made the House (at Makka) a resort for mankind and sanctuary, (saying): Take as your place of worship the place where
Abraham stood (to pray). And We imposed a duty upon Abraham and Ishmael, (saying): Purify My house for those who go around and
those who meditate therein and those who bow down and prostrate themselves (in worship).
To the Jews I say:
Remember how I prefered you to everyone else?
A day is coming when no one will help anyone, including Allah.
126
And when Abraham prayed: My Lord! Make this a region of security and bestow upon its
people fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day, He answered:
As for him who disbelieveth, I shall leave him in contentment for a while,
then I shall compel him to the doom of Fire - a hapless journey's end!
I'll take care of the disbelievers later
(by burning them forever in the Fire).
127
And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our
Lord! Accept from us (this duty).
Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.
128
Our Lord! And make us submissive unto Thee and of our seed a nation submissive unto Thee,
and show us our ways of worship, and relent toward us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the
Relenting, the Merciful.
129
Our Lord! And raise up in their midst a messenger from among them who shall recite unto them Thy revelations, and shall instruct
them in the Scripture and in wisdom and shall make them grow. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, Wise.
Abraham and Ishmael built the House. [4]
130
And who forsaketh the religion of Abraham save him who befooleth himself? Verily We chose him in the world, and lo! in the
Hereafter he is among the righteous.
131
When his Lord said unto him: Surrender! he said: I have surrendered to the Lord of the Worlds.
Those who forsake the religion of Abraham befool themselves.
132
The same did Abraham enjoin upon his sons, and also Jacob, (saying): O my sons! Lo! Allah hath chosen
for you the (true) religion; therefore die not save as men who have surrendered (unto Him).
133
Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye worship after me ? They said: We shall worship
thy God, the God of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and unto Him we have surrendered.
134
Those are a people who have passed away. Theirs is that which they earned, and yours is that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of
what they used to do.
135
And they say: Be Jews or Christians, then ye will be rightly guided. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Nay, but (we follow) the religion
of Abraham, the upright, and he was not of the idolaters.
136
Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We
make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.
137
And if they believe in the like of that which ye believe, then are they rightly guided.
But if they turn away, then are they in schism, and Allah will suffice thee (for
defence) against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
Abraham said to his sons,
Allah has chosen your religion for you. [5]
Don't die without surrendering to him.
138
(We take our) colour from Allah, and who is better than Allah at colouring. We are His worshippers.
We take our color from Allah.
And who is better at coloring than Allah?
Notes
- Nothing of our revelation (even a single verse) do we abrogate or cause be forgotten, but
we bring (in place) one better or the like thereof. (v.106)
There is some disagreement among Muslims about this abrogation thing. Did Allah fix earlier messed up
verses in the Quran with better ones later on? Or is every verse in the Quran correct as is?
They all seem to agree, though, that when it comes to the Quran, later is better. Allah may have made
some mistakes when he revealed the Quran to Muhammad, but if so, he corrected them as he went along. Allah is
wise, all-knowing, careful.
- Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful. (v.111)
When they say that you must be a Christian or a Jew to go to heaven, ask them to prove it (and hope they don't ask you the same thing
when you tell them that they must be Muslim to go to heaven).
- The Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true).
And both are right! Both follow nothing true. (Neither do the Muslims.)
- When Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House (v.127)
"The House" is the Kaaba, which the Quran here
claims was built by Abraham and Ishmael. This is the cubical building in Mecca that Muslims are supposed to make a
pilgramage to at least once in their lifetime. (Wikipedia: The Hajj
- Allah hath chosen for you the (true) religion. (v.132)
Who was the first muslim?