Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Most Peaceful Verse


From Islam Watch:

“...whoever kills a person, it is as if he had killed all mankind. And whoever saves one it is as if he had saved all mankind... ”
This short article discusses verse 5:32 in the Quran, which Muslims commonly quote when debating critics of Islam. Muslim intellectuals and Imams, as well as Western apologists, often quote this verse as evidence to support their false claims that Islam is a religion of peace. The verse is anything but peaceful and shames, not only the Quran, but Islam in general and all those who quote it.
Sooner or later, some readers with interest in Islamic issues, might come across Muslims (or Westerners) who quote verse 5:32 to spread the lies that Islam is a religion of peace, in which case the explanation in this article might come handy.
I watched on youtube a number of debates involving highly respected intellectuals who did not notice the Islamic trap in the verse. Examples of the debates I watched is the one between Tony Blair (a Muslim apologist) and the late Christopher Hitchens. The verse was also quoted by Muslims debating Douglas Murray and A Hirsi. More recently, Robert Spencer debated an Imam on BBC radio. The Imam quoted the verse but Spencer did not spot its weakness, which surprised me. Any way, all those critics of Islam did well in their debates despite missing an opportunity to expose Islam even further.
This is how the Muslims and Muslim apologists quote the verse:
“whoever kills a person it is as if he had killed mankind ( or humanity) entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind ( or humanity) entirely.”
This is the verse in Arabic:
And this is the translation (The relevant part emphasized):
Q. 5: 32 “Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors”.
The underlined part is normally missed by those who quote the verse and appears as an extra explanation to make the point. Muslims understand the verse as a decree from Allah that: “whoever kills a person it is as if he had killed all mankind, and whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved all mankind . Indeed, with a meaning like that, the verse does look humane and peaceful.
However, the verse makes two exceptions from the decree, which are made clear in the underlined part, which is normally missed or overlooked- “Unless for a soul or for doing corruption in the land.”
The first exception: If the killing has been for revenge ( killing for revenge is allowed!)
Second exception: If the killing has been because the person killed has committed corruption (Arabic fasad).
The Arabic word “Fasad” is translated as corruption. The Islamic understanding of fasad is committing practices or activities that are considered to be un-Islamic.
Un-Islamic activities include things like:
  1. Drinking alcohol,
  2. Eating pork,
  3. Denying that Mohammed was a prophet,
  4. Denying that Allah is God,
  5. Believing that Jesus was crucified,
  6. Teaching non Islamic ideas (like evolution),
  7. Listening to music,
  8. Making/watching films,
  9. Not complying with Islamic dress code,
  10. Adultery,
  11. Celebrating Christmas,
  12. Mixed parties... etc
If you think of it, you will find that “Fasad” actually describes what is largely considered as a normal lifestyle in the non-Muslim World. Therefore, according to the verse 5:32, killing non-Muslims is OK, and has been excluded from the above decree.
In short, verse 5:32 prohibits killing Muslims (only) unless for revenge.
And that is the most peaceful verse in the Quran!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

And the said phrase is a phrase from the Talmud, just incoporated into the Quran for its own ends

Pastorius said...

I didn't know that.

Epaminondas said...

"We decreed upon the Children of Israel"

Anonymous said...

Here's a link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080911212117AA0TM4k

It's a bit different, but the message is still the same.

Anonymous (and still oriental ex-muslim, assad supporting, xenophobia despising)

Pastorius said...

Yes, thanks, Anonymous.

I see now how that is different from the Quran (though they sound close).

Here is the Quran verse:

32. On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles wi

http://www.islamicity.com/quran/5.htm

Anonymous said...

What a waste of commentary. Without looking at outside sources for where they stole this verse from (as Anon mentioned, its from the Talmud), even the Quran says that this verse is only applicable to the children of Israel.

So in other words, the most peaceful verse in the whole of Quran isn't even applicable to Muslims. Its just mentioned in passing as to what was expected of the children of Israel.

What does apply to Muslims is the following verse (any reading of 5:32 without reading 5:33 is incomplete and misleading), which says:

"Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment."

Nicoenarg

Pastorius said...

I know you don't have a lot of time, but maybe you should write a post.