Hey Everybody! I'm not Muslim, but I am considering converting. I've recently successfully finished reading the entire Qur'an and I've come across some "questionable verses". These are verses that seemed contradictory or just plain uncharacteristic of God. I'll only bring up 4 for now. I will advise you to read the preceding and succeeding verses of all the verses I bring into question.
1) Chapter 3 Verse 145 states,
"And a soul will not die but with the permission of Allah the term is fixed; and whoever desires the reward of this world, I shall give him of it, and whoever desires the reward of the hereafter I shall give him of it, and I will reward the grateful."
2) Chapter 6 Verse 60 states,
"And He it is Who takes your souls at night (in sleep), and He knows what you acquire in the day, then He raises you up therein that an appointed term may be fulfilled; then to Him is your return, then He will inform you of what you were doing."
These first 2 are somewhat similar, so I'll speak of them together. My problem with these 2 verses is that they state that God is in control of who dies and who lives and who wakes up in the morning and who doesn't. Well if that's so, then why would God allow innocent people to die? Why would God allow infants to die? Why would God allow unborn babies to die through late-term abortions just because the mother didn't want a kid? Now I'll be the first to argue that, in certain circumstances, death isn't a bad thing for the person dying. But it's the effects of that death on loved ones that truly brings grief and suffering. I can't see God giving those kinds of effects to his believers.
And this is also somewhat contradictory of free will. If I decide I want to die today, it doesn't matter, because God's in control of death. I could stab myself in the heart as many times as I want, Im not gonna die until God allows me to. That doesn't sound right to me.
3) Chapter 4 Verse 79 states,
"Whatever benefit comes to you (O man!), it is from Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself, and We have sent you (O Prophet!), to mankind as a messenger; and Allah is sufficient as a witness."
My problem with this one is that it sounds very arrogant and convenient to say this. All good comes from me, and all bad comes from you! Here's an example. Let's say that through many years of study and trials, I discovered the cure for AIDS. Yay!!! I've benefitted humanity!! But!!! I get no credit for discovering this cure because "Whatever benefit comes to you, it is from Allah". Ok, so this cure is from God, not me. But 25 years later everybody who received the cure dies for some reason. We weren't able to test the long term effects. Oh no! Severe misfortune! NOW I can get credit for the "cure" because it brought misfortune. That doesn't sound right to me.
4) Chapter 6 Verse 25 states,
"And among them are they who listen to you, and We set (Literally: make) upon their hearts lids, (so) they do not comprehend it, and in their ears obstruction; and in case they see every sign, they do not believe in it, until (the time) when they come to you, they dispute with you. The ones who have disbelieved say, "Decidedly this is nothing except the myths of the earliest (peoples)."
Now after reading this one let's assume you are reading the Qur'an to someone, but they can't fully comprehend it. So because they don't comprehend it, they decide they're going to continue living life the way they have been. So they continue to drink, snort coke, and sleep with whomever they please. But all their misdeeds are not their fault, because according to this verse God has "set upon their hearts lids so they do not comprehend...and in their ears obstruction". I would think that God would want EVERYONE to comprehend his message. If they comprehend it, they can follow it. This verse doesn't sound right to me.
Overall these interventions of God seem contradictory to free will and seem destructive. I'm hoping that there's just something I'm not understanding in these verses. Tell me whatcha think!!!
1) Chapter 3 Verse 145 states,
"And a soul will not die but with the permission of Allah the term is fixed; and whoever desires the reward of this world, I shall give him of it, and whoever desires the reward of the hereafter I shall give him of it, and I will reward the grateful."
2) Chapter 6 Verse 60 states,
"And He it is Who takes your souls at night (in sleep), and He knows what you acquire in the day, then He raises you up therein that an appointed term may be fulfilled; then to Him is your return, then He will inform you of what you were doing."
These first 2 are somewhat similar, so I'll speak of them together. My problem with these 2 verses is that they state that God is in control of who dies and who lives and who wakes up in the morning and who doesn't. Well if that's so, then why would God allow innocent people to die? Why would God allow infants to die? Why would God allow unborn babies to die through late-term abortions just because the mother didn't want a kid? Now I'll be the first to argue that, in certain circumstances, death isn't a bad thing for the person dying. But it's the effects of that death on loved ones that truly brings grief and suffering. I can't see God giving those kinds of effects to his believers.
And this is also somewhat contradictory of free will. If I decide I want to die today, it doesn't matter, because God's in control of death. I could stab myself in the heart as many times as I want, Im not gonna die until God allows me to. That doesn't sound right to me.
3) Chapter 4 Verse 79 states,
"Whatever benefit comes to you (O man!), it is from Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself, and We have sent you (O Prophet!), to mankind as a messenger; and Allah is sufficient as a witness."
My problem with this one is that it sounds very arrogant and convenient to say this. All good comes from me, and all bad comes from you! Here's an example. Let's say that through many years of study and trials, I discovered the cure for AIDS. Yay!!! I've benefitted humanity!! But!!! I get no credit for discovering this cure because "Whatever benefit comes to you, it is from Allah". Ok, so this cure is from God, not me. But 25 years later everybody who received the cure dies for some reason. We weren't able to test the long term effects. Oh no! Severe misfortune! NOW I can get credit for the "cure" because it brought misfortune. That doesn't sound right to me.
4) Chapter 6 Verse 25 states,
"And among them are they who listen to you, and We set (Literally: make) upon their hearts lids, (so) they do not comprehend it, and in their ears obstruction; and in case they see every sign, they do not believe in it, until (the time) when they come to you, they dispute with you. The ones who have disbelieved say, "Decidedly this is nothing except the myths of the earliest (peoples)."
Now after reading this one let's assume you are reading the Qur'an to someone, but they can't fully comprehend it. So because they don't comprehend it, they decide they're going to continue living life the way they have been. So they continue to drink, snort coke, and sleep with whomever they please. But all their misdeeds are not their fault, because according to this verse God has "set upon their hearts lids so they do not comprehend...and in their ears obstruction". I would think that God would want EVERYONE to comprehend his message. If they comprehend it, they can follow it. This verse doesn't sound right to me.
Overall these interventions of God seem contradictory to free will and seem destructive. I'm hoping that there's just something I'm not understanding in these verses. Tell me whatcha think!!!