for mansoor

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), May 14, 2008 at 09:08

Millions of people, including myself, can recite Lewis Carrol's poem_Jabberwocky_ from start to finish, but that doesn't make it the Word of God. Many recite large portions of the Old and New Testaments, too--to say nothing of Buddhist sutras, the Four Books of Confucius, and other famous pieces of literature.

And, of course, Muslims recite the Qu'ran in Arabic--the Qu'ran as fixed in the days of the Caliph Usman. I understand there are even hadiths about people deciding whose memory of what Muhammad said and which palm leaf strips and ostraca were more reliable. Further, the site Answering Islam (Jochen Katz) has an article noting different recensions of the Qu'ran current in different parts of the Islamic world. Hence, the problem of textual transmission of the Qu'ran remains an issue which Muslims have not honestly faced.

Mansoor, I regret that I could not reach the links you sent. Could you give me the gist of the arguments, and mention any hard copy evidence the writers cite?

Also, is there anyone out there who can help us trace the pre-Qu'ranic origin of the Qu'ran's statement that the Jews see Ezra as the Son of God--especially from any Jewish source (Rabbinic, Qumran, Qaraite, folk Judaism, or heterodox)? Unless I see such evidence, I will have to conclude that either Muhammad or the compilers of the Qu'ran are guilty of misrepresenting their neighbors.

You see, Mansoor, I will never accuse Muslims of worshiping a statue of a god called Baphomet (as charged by certain medieval Christian writers) because I know it isn't true. In this sort of thing, being truthful about the other person is necessary, even when you disagree with him.

After all, God hates lying.

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