Answer to "Why I left Islam" Video on YouTube

In the following video, apparently an ex-Muslim claims after years of dedications to Islam and studying Islamic apologetic he left Islam. He says he can't find himself defending Islam or the Prophet Mohammad anymore due to some shocking examples he has found in Quran such as verse 4:24.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR7_YQ53lfI&t=35s 

Let's "investigate" his claim.

﷽

وَالْمُحْصَنَاتُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ ۖ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَأُحِلَّ لَكُم مَّا وَرَاءَ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَن تَبْتَغُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُم مُّحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحِينَ ۚ فَمَا

اسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهِ مِنْهُنَّ فَآتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا تَرَاضَيْتُم بِهِ مِن بَعْدِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا - 4:24

"And [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allah upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise."

The main ground for his argument is the translation of the word "Al-mohsanat الْمُحْصَنَاتُ" to "married women", which is based on a Hadith as he also referrers to it later. This is an obvious mistake since the very same word has been repeated in the next verse 4:25 followed in Quran.  Yet it has ,this time, been translated to "free, believing women".

وَمَن لَّمْ يَسْتَطِعْ مِنكُمْ طَوْلًا أَن يَنكِحَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ فَمِن مَّا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُم مِّن فَتَيَاتِكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِكُم ۚ بَعْضُكُم مِّن

بَعْضٍ ۚ فَانكِحُوهُنَّ بِإِذْنِ أَهْلِهِنَّ وَآتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مُحْصَنَاتٍ غَيْرَ مُسَافِحَاتٍ وَلَا مُتَّخِذَاتِ أَخْدَانٍ ۚ فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ

بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ الْعَنَتَ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَأَن تَصْبِرُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ - 4:25

"And whoever among you cannot [find] the means to marry free, believing women, then [he may marry] from those whom your right hands possess of believing slave girls. And Allah is most knowing about your faith. You [believers] are of one another. So marry them with the permission of their people and give them their due compensation according to what is acceptable. [They should be] chaste, neither [of] those who commit unlawful intercourse randomly nor those who take [secret] lovers. But once they are sheltered in marriage, if they should commit adultery, then for them is half the punishment for free [unmarried] women. This [allowance] is for him among you who fears sin, but to be patient is better for you. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."

Needless to say, God would not recommend marrying married women first.  Therefore, it is clear that the word "Al-mohsanat" can not mean "married women" by any means. 

If we are in doubt, the best way is to search Quran itself for other contexts where the same word has been used to find out the most plausible denotation. In doing so, we find verses: 5:5 and 24:23 in which the same word has more sensibly been translated to "Chaste" , abstinent or self-restrained women. This definition makes perfect sense in the context of verses 4:24 & 25 too.  

The second phrase in verse 4:24 which is also a key to his take is "Malakat Imanokom مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ".  While this is also wrongfully turned to "your right hands possess" ,influenced by the same Hadith, is in conflict with its sense in many other verses including 24;33, 30:28, 4:3, 4:36 , where it can only mean those whom you possess not the women who may be taken captive in a war.

Perhaps, this is why this verse follows on:

 يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ - 4:26

"Allah wants to make clear to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And Allah is Knowing and Wise."

Last but not least, let's say for some cultural or historical reasons a Muslim was in control of a women at the time. Could he force her into a sexual relationship?

"...And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life...." (part of verse 24:33)

We can clearly see in this case that how unreliable Hadith sources are.  This is mainly due to the fact that Hadith collections were gathered decades after the life of the Prophet and is subject to human errors in passing on the narrations unlike Quran text which is guarded by God himself as stated in verse 15:9. 

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ - 15:9

"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian"

صدق الله العلي العظيم

As for the ex-Muslim guy, I find his claim invalid and insincere particularly when he ends up his argument by appealing to the emotions of the viewers. 

May God grant us an open heart that would sincerely seek the truth and the divine guidance. 

Heart in the Quran

Have you ever wondered why the Quran refers to human heart as the centre of our understanding of the world.  Clearly, it is not meant literally as our heart organ does not have much to do with thinking.  Nevertheless, one would expect the mind, with a metaphysical nature, would be the center for all the intellectual attributes of us as a human regardless of whether you place in the physical brain or you consider it part of our spiritual essence.  What is it that differentiates understanding with our heart as opposed to our mind.

Have you run into physicians who know health risks of smoking best yet they do smoke themselves or the ones that never exercise.  This contradictory behavior is not limited to any one profession.  Perhaps, the most surprising cases are when a member of the clergy is caught red-handed, as seen surfacing in the press every now and then.

The following commercial about distracted driving on Youtube is a perfect example which, I believe, demonstrates the difference between knowing something with your mind and understanding it through your heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9swS1Vl6Ok&t=0s

if it does not open search on Youtube for "Wait for it... this could save your life", 3.50 minute long.

As we can see and hear the young drivers talk, they all know that texting, for example, is something that they shouldn't do while driving yet they do regardless. They don't take it to heart until their emotions are awakened by hearing JC's personal account. This is when the learning experience is registered in their heart through emotions.

In other words, when a rational concept appeals to our emotions to the degree that it becomes part of our nature then we can call it the ultimate level of understanding or in my view understanding through heart. I am not sure though, if whatever we understand through our heart would be necessarily right or perfect but it evidently causes profound changes in our personality, in our behaviour and perhaps it changes who we actually are.

Back to the video example, once the kids are touched by what has happened to JC they start to change. In essence, it is their heart that changes and accordingly they become a different person, a safer driver that is mindful of risks of distracted driving for ever. This means we are what our heart is and our heart is what it understands.

That said, they could have been the kind of person who would not be moved by JC's life story and would not change their mind either ( probably there are a few interviewee whom are excluded from the commercial). We can therefore, see the fact that our heart should be able or better say be capable of understanding otherwise we won't be affected as if the words are falling on a deaf ear even when we are exposed to God's words through another human's voice.

I think we should humbly and honestly ask God to open our hearts to the true voices we hear by our ears and most importantly to the divine revelations everyone can potentially perceive at their heart.

﷽

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِمَن كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ - 50:37

"Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]."

الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۖ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّهِ وَعِندَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ جَبَّارٍ - 40:35

"Those who dispute concerning the signs of Allah without an authority having come to them - great is hatred [of them] in the sight of Allah and in the sight of those who have believed. Thus does Allah seal over every heart [belonging to] an arrogant tyrant."

قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ - 2:97

"Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah, confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers."

صدق الله العلي العظيم