Een voormalig Prins Carnaval van Grave is gisteravond plotseling overleden op een feest in de carnavalstent in de Brabantse stad. Het feest werd daarna afgelast, schrijft Omroep Brabant.

De 67-jarige man werd rond 22.00 uur onwel. Hulpdiensten konden niets meer voor hem betekenen. De man overleed ter plekke.

Zondag gaan alle carnavalsfestiviteiten in Potshuusburg, zoals Grave tijdens carnaval heet, wel door. Dat is volgens de plaatselijke carnavalsvereniging de “uitdrukkelijke wens” van de nabestaanden. “Het is zoals hij het gewild zou hebben”, aldus de vereniging.

Bron: https://nos.nl/artikel/2464458-oud-prins-carnaval-overlijdt-tijdens-carnavalsfeest-grave

Wal iyazubillah. Allahuma irziqna Husn al-Khatimah.

Jullie Heer waarschuwt jullie. “En We zenden de Tekenen enkel om angst in te boezemen” [Qur’an 17:59] Een dubbele aardbeving (7.8 en 7.5), Allaahumma sallim. Moge Allah de moslims weghouden van de zaken waar Hij Woedend over wordt. Vergeet onze broeders en zusters in Zuidoost-Turkije en Noord-Syrië niet in jullie smeekbedes. Moge Allah de gewonden genezen, degenen die onder het puin zitten veilig eruit laten komen, de doden genadig zijn en de overlevenden leiden naar het goede.

Shaykh al-‘Islaam Ibn al-Qayyim zei in Miftaah Daar as-Saʿaadah (2/630):

“Soms geeft Allaah de aarde toestemming om te ademen, waarop er grote aardbevingen plaatsvinden, met als gevolg voor de dienaren: angst, vrees, berouwvolle terugkeer, het verlaten van zondes, onderwerping aan Allah en spijt. Zoals sommigen van de Salaf zeiden toen er een aardbeving plaatsvond: ‘Jullie Heer waarschuwt jullie.’ En toen al-Madienah een keer getroffen werd door een aardbeving, sprak ʿOmar ibn al-Khattaab de mensen toe, vermaande hen en zei: ‘Als dit weer gebeurt, zal ik niet hier meer blijven wonen met jullie.'”

Rachid Abu Khuzaymah

Bron: https://www.facebook.com/rachidabukhuzaymah1/posts/pfbid0P8eF7phVCb2kLAbdNu9iir4iGp7gLNf55qpmzpvT5HyYDGX92Ng38v8Q5Jyw2GGel

Many countries have had earthquakes, such as Turkey, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, etc. Does this mean anything (from an Islamic point of view)?

Praise be to Allah.

And peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance.

Allaah is the All-Wise, All-Knowing in all that He wills and decrees, and He is the All-Wise, All-Knowing in all that He legislates and commands. He creates and decrees whatever signs He wills, to frighten His slaves and remind them of their obligations and duties towards Him, and to warn them against associating anything in worship with Him, going against His commands and doing that which He has forbidden. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We sent not the signs except to warn” [al-Israa’ 17:59]

“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur’aan) is the truth. Is it not sufficient in regard to your Lord that He is a Witness over all things?” [Fussilat 41:53]

“Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another.’” [al-An’aam 6:65]

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) “Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above” was revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “A’oodhu bi wajhika (I seek refuge in Your Face”; “or from under your feet”, he said, “A’oodhu bi wajhika (I seek refuge in Your Face).”

(Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5/193).

(Abu’l-Shaykh al-Isbahaani narrated from Mujaahid concerning the Tafseer of this aayah, “Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above”: (this means) al-Sayhah (the shout or tumult), stones and strong wind; “or from under your feet”, (means) earthquakes and being swallowed up by the earth.)

Undoubtedly the earthquakes that are happening these days are among the signs which Allaah uses to frighten His slaves. All the earthquakes and other things which happen and cause harm and injury to people are because of shirk and sins, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30]

“Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” [al-Nisaa’ 4:79]

And Allaah said concerning the nations of the past:

“So We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them were some on whom We sent Haasib (a violent wind with shower of stones) [as on the people of Loot (Lot)], and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah [torment awful cry, (as Thamood or Shu‘ayb’s people)], and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qaaroon (Korah)], and of them were some whom We drowned [as the people of Nooh (Noah), or Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) and his people]. It was not Allaah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:40]

What Muslims and others who are accountable and of sound mind must do is repent to Allaah, adhere firmly to His Religion and avoid all that He has forbidden of Shirk and sin, so that they may be safe and attain salvation from all evils in this world and the next, and so that Allaah will ward off from them all harm, and bless them with all good. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwaa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes).” [al-A’raaf 7:96]

And Allaah says concerning the People of the Book (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if only they had acted according to the Tawraah (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to them from their Lord (the Qur’ân), they would surely, have gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet” [al-Maa’idah 5:66].

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep? Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing? Did they then feel secure against the Plan of Allaah? None feels secure from the Plan of Allaah except the people who are the losers.” [al-A’raaf 7:97-99]

Al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah sometimes gives the earth permission to breathe, which is when major earthquakes happen; this makes people feel scared, so they repent, give up sins, pray to Allaah and feel regret [for their sins]. When there had been an earthquake, some of the Salaf said: your Lord is warning you. When Madeenah was struck by an earthquake, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with you) addressed the people and said: if there is another earthquake, I will not stay here with you.”

And there are many similar reportes from the Salaf.

Our response when there is an earthquake or some other sign such as an eclipse, strong winds or floods, should be to hasten to repent to Allaah and pray to Him for safety, and to remember Him much and seek His forgiveness, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said when there was an eclipse: “If you see anything like that, hasten to remember Him, call on Him and seek His forgiveness.”

(Part of an agreed-upon hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (2/30) and Muslim (2/628)).

It is also mustahabb (recommended, encouraged) to show compassion to the poor and needy, and to give charity to them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Show mercy, you will be shown mercy.”

(Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 2/165)

“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One Who is in heaven will show mercy to you.”

(Narrated by Abu Dawood (13/285), al-Tirmidhi (6/43)).

“Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5/75), Muslim (4/1809)).

It was reported that when there was an earthquake, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) would write to his governors telling them to give in charity.

One of the things which will help to keep people safe and sound is if the authorities impose an immediate crack-down on the foolish elements in society, forcing them to behave and applying the laws of sharee’ah to them, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give the Zakaah, and obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise” [al-Tawbah 9:71]

“Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allaah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqamat-as-Salaah[i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salaah (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakaah and they enjoin Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’aan as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allaah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures).” [al-Hajj 22:40-41]

“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him.” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

And there are many aayaat on this topic.

The Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever meets the need of his brother, Allaah will meet his needs.”

(Agreed upon; al-Bukhaari, 3/98; Muslim, 4/1996).

And he ( peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever relieves a believer of some of the distress of this world, Allaah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easier for one who is suffering hardship, Allaah will make things easier for him in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allaah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allaah will help a person so long as he helps his brother.”

(Narrated by Muslim, 4/2074). And there are many ahaadeeth on this topic.

Allaah is the One Whom we ask to reform the affairs of all the Muslims and to bless them with proper understanding of Islam and help them to adhere steadfastly to it and repent to Allaah from all their sins. We ask Him to reform all those who are in authority over the Muslims’ affairs and to support the Truth and eradicate falsehood through them, and to help them to rule the people according to the laws of sharee’ah, and to protect them and all the Muslims from misguidance and temptation and the tricks of the Shaytaan, for He is Able to do all that.

May the blessings and peace of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Resurrection.

Bron: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/2593/why-are-there-so-many-earthquakes

Een westerse, cyber-gedomineerde dystopie van slaven die massaal aan een Matrix-achtig systeem geplugd zitten en werken voor massacorporaties, klinkt misschien als een Sci fi-verhaal, maar wie om zich heen kijkt, ziet dat we er eigenlijk al min of meer in leven.

De reden waarom jonge mannen zich storten op games en daarin de voorkeur hebben voor First Person Shooters, Adventure, Action en Hack- & Slash-games, is omdat ze in deze virtuele gamewereld eindelijk de man kunnen zijn die in hun natuurlijke aanleg borrelt: soldaat, krijger, avonturier, vechter… zaken die ze in de huidige gynocentrische, anti-mannelijke westerse wereld niet terugvinden. In de ‘echte’ wereld zijn ze een pionnetje in een kantoor dat wegtikt op een computer.

De reden waarom jonge mannen kijken naar Anime en daarin de voorkeur hebben voor de Dragonball series, Naruto, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack On Titan, enzovoorts (even los van het religieuze oordeel), is omdat het diepgewortelde gevoelens aantikt: heldhaftigheid, moed, offers maken, strijden voor een zaak, lichamelijke en mentale kracht, vriendschap en broederschap. In de huidige individualistische, betekenisloze maatschappij waarin men enkel leeft om te consumeren en produceren, zijn deze betekenissen immers verdwenen.

De reden waarom jonge mannen kijken naar films/series en daarin de voorkeur hebben voor Mocromaffia, Narcos, enz, en alle andere gangster- en maffiafilms en -series, is omdat het een beeld vertoont waar ze naar hunkeren. Niet zo zeer de misdaad, maar wel: breken met het systeem, niet conformeren aan de wereldorde, heft in eigen handen nemen, een imperium opbouwen, enzovoorts.

De reden waarom jonge mannen pornografie kijken, is omdat het ze een gevoel van dominantie over vrouwen geeft: een oneindig aanbod aan verschillende soorten en maten vrouwen, die zich – weliswaar virtueel en gesimuleerd – aan jou conformeren. Jij kiest en drukt op play. Het simuleert de dominantie die een man normaliter eigenlijk heeft over een of meerdere vrouwen in huwelijksverband (met nog de optie tot slavinnen)… een dominantie die ze in hun dagelijkse leven in de huidige feministische wereld nooit ofte nimmer krijgen. Zelfs al hebben ze een partner.

De reden waarom datzelfde anti-mannelijke systeem al deze ‘entertainmentvormen’ actief aanbiedt, vóóral pornografie en games, is om mannen een ongevaarlijke uitlaatklep te geven voor deze gevoelens, hun energie leeg te zuigen en hen te doen degraderen tot zwakke, futloze, psychologisch gecastreerde slaven.

Pure sedatie, dus wees gewaarschuwd: dit zijn geen entertainmentvormen, maar pure verdovingsmiddelen die bedoeld zijn om jouw mannelijkheid en masculine energie te vernietigen. Je tijd, geld, creativiteit, ambitie, verlangens, avonturiersdrang, seksuele lust en mannelijkheid zijn assets. Spaar, bewaar en gebruik ze zorgvuldig.

In de échte wereld.

Rachid Abu Khuzaymah

Bron: https://www.facebook.com/rachidabukhuzaymah1/posts/pfbid021q9ZR484xfvfDMG7bNpKPxFeDfm158bNxMx6Jy6efWgvimxQyiSepzo1EqMa34aLl

Hevige regenval, groene bergtoppen en zelfs overstromingen: het normaal droge Saoedi-Arabië kreeg de afgelopen maanden te maken met veel nattigheid. Dat staat volgens deskundigen niet los van klimaatverandering.

Want waar de bergen rondom de heilige plekken Mekka en Medina normaal zwart of bruin zijn, kleuren ze na de regenval van de afgelopen tijd groen. Beelden van dit zeldzame fenomeen gaan rond op sociale media, met name in de islamitische gemeenschap, en die maakt de koppeling met de Dag des Oordeels.

Moslims geloven, net als andere abrahamitische religies, in het einde van de wereld en de Dag des Oordeels. Volgens een overlevering van de profeet Mohammed zijn er verschillende tekenen dat die dag eraan komt. Dat ‘het land van de Arabieren’ terug zou gaan naar veel groen en rivieren, zoals het ooit was, is daar één van.

Volgens klimaatwetenschappers heeft de hevige regenval te maken met veranderende weersomstandigheden. Saoedi-Arabië heeft een woestijnklimaat en op sommige plekken een semi-droog klimaat, legt Michelle van Vliet uit. Ze is hoogleraar fysische hydrologie aan de Universiteit Utrecht. In de regio rond Mekka valt gemiddeld 112 millimeter regen per jaar. In Nederland ligt dat rond de 870 millimeter.

Mekka en Medina, waar veel van deze plotse weersveranderingen zijn waargenomen, zijn voor moslims heilige gebieden. Daarom maakten de beelden vooral in die gemeenschap veel los. Hoewel de meeste moslims de verandering niet direct toeschrijven aan het geloof, wordt een overlevering of hadith van de profeet Mohammed veel aangehaald.

Dat Saoedi-Arabië nu groen kleurt, zou horen bij een van de beschreven tekens voor de Dag des Oordeels uit zo’n hadith. Onder moslimgeleerden is er discussie over deze tekens, legt Umar Ryad uit, hoogleraar arabistiek en islamkunde aan de universiteit van Leuven.

“In de tijd van de prehistorie was Arabië groen, zegt Ryad. “Daar wordt nu veel archeologisch onderzoek naar gedaan. Bijvoorbeeld het project van Green Arabia, waar wetenschappers op zoek gaan naar de groene oorsprong van het gebied.”

Bron: https://nos.nl/artikel/2459378-saudische-woestijn-wordt-groen-teken-van-de-dag-des-oordeels

Prins Harry heeft zich de woede van Britse veteranen op de hals gehaald met zijn onthulling dat hij als militair in Afghanistan meer dan twintig Talibanstrijders heeft gedood. Hij schrijft daarover in zijn autobiografie die volgende week uitkomt, maar gisteren al in Spaanse boekhandels lag.

Harry diende twee periodes in het Britse leger in Afghanistan. De laatste keer (2012-2013) was dat als copiloot en schutter van een Apache-helikopter. Hij vertelde in 2013 al dat hij Talibanstrijders had gedood. In zijn boek noemt hij nu het aantal van 25. Hij weet dat zo precies omdat de videobeelden na afloop werden geanalyseerd.

“Het is geen statistiek waar ik trots op was, maar ik schaamde me er ook niet voor”, schrijft Harry. “In de hitte en verwarring van het gevecht, zag ik die 25 niet als mensen. Het waren schaakstukken die van het bord werden gehaald. Slechte mensen die werden uitgeschakeld voordat ze goede mensen konden doden.”

Een militair die tegelijk met Harry in Afghanistan was, noemt de onthulling tegen een radiostation “zeer teleurstellend”. “Dit deel je alleen met mensen die je kent en alleen met je allerbeste vrienden. Niet met mensen in het café en je maakt het zeker niet publiek zoals nu.”

Een voormalige officier die ook in Afghanistan vocht, vindt van de passage de suggestie uitgaan dat het Britse leger militairen leert om de vijand als niet-menselijk te zien. “Het tegendeel is juist het geval”, zei hij tegen Sky News.

Hij noemt de onthulling onverstandig, omdat ze tot wraakacties op Harry zelf en Britse militairen overal ter wereld kan leiden. “Laten we hopen dat het ze niet lukt.” Volgens de officier heeft Harry zijn reputatie hiermee bezoedeld.

Bron: https://nos.nl/artikel/2458864-britse-veteranen-ontzet-over-onthulling-prins-harry-over-afghanistan

Harry ziet zichzelf als ‘goed’, maar in de Koran wordt hij een bondgenoot van Satan genoemd.

4/76 Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah , and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Taghut. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak.

3/118 Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is worse.

It could be said that the philosophical father of the incels is Michel Clouscard.

We had summarized his thought within a recent article, and we’d encouraged giving it a read. But, as a basic summary, he was a thinker of Marxist loyalties. Clouscard theorized what he refers to as “le libéralisme-libertaire,” which could be translated into English as “liberticide-liberalism” (“libertarian-liberalism” would be confusing since, in the Anglosphere, libertarianism refers to a particular brand of political philosophy).

Clouscard argued that when capitalism moved from industry to services, it went from being an economy centered around production and men to an economy centered around consumerism and women—industry requires men for their sheer strength alone while services could do with women, sometimes even women alone (think of the receptionist and the cashier).

This feminization of the economy would naturally lead to the feminization of other interconnected sectors and fields (such as politics, education and so on), then the feminization of the whole of society itself.

So while women are becoming more powerful, men are becoming weaker, and in a society of consumerism and hypersexualization, the latter is simply unable to compete. The “sexual value market” becomes such that there are just far too many “strong, ambitious, successful women” for the ever-decreasing contingent of men that are able to compete with them.

This therefore creates a sexual schizophrenia. Liberal-capitalism pushes for (sexual) desire but then the same type of society also ensures that men aren’t able to attain it.

As a result you have “sexually frustrated” men with “misogynistic” tendencies, what you could perhaps apathetically define as “incels.”

Bron: https://muslimskeptic.com/2023/01/03/origins-incel-liberal-capitalism/

The Home Office has refused asylum to a Christian convert by quoting Bible passages which it says prove Christianity is not a peaceful religion.

The Iranian national, who claimed asylum in 2016, was told passages in the Bible were “inconsistent” with his claim to have converted to Christianity after discovering it was a “peaceful” faith.

The refusal letter from the department states the book of Revelations – the final book of the Bible – is “filled with imagery of revenge, destruction, death and violence”, and cites six excerpts from it.

It then states: “These examples are inconsistent with your claim that you converted to Christianity after discovering it is a ‘peaceful’ religion, as opposed to Islam which contains violence, rage and revenge.”

Bron: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/home-office-christian-convert-asylum-refused-bible-not-peaceful-a8832026.html

Those of you who follow the news have heard that a truly great manuscript discovery has been made public this week, coming out of the University of Birmingham, England. The university has a very important collection of manuscripts, and for New Testament scholars it is famous for its Institute devoted to the study, analysis, and editing of Gospel manuscripts, an institute headed by my long-time friend and colleague David Parker, indisputably one of the top NT textual scholars in the world.

But the discovery that has been made is not connected to the New Testament. It is connected to the Qur’an. Since 1932 the university has had, among its collected works, a virtually full two page fragment of the Qur’an. Recently they decided to see if they could come up with a (relatively) precise date for these pages. And so they had a carbon-14 dating done. The results are nothing less than astounding.

Let me say that carbon-14 dating is indeed a science, but it’s not a highly exact science. It dates organic material based on the deterioration of its carbon-14 isotope, and so can give a range of dates that are statistically determined to be of relative accuracy. Even so. This dating is remarkable. The dating was done by a lab devoted to such things in Oxford. It turns out that there is a 95% chance that these pages were produced between 568 and 645 CE. How good is that? The prophet Mohammed, who (in traditional Islamic teaching) was responsible for producing the Qur’an was engaged in his active ministry in 610-632 CE. These pages may have been produced during his lifetime or in a decade or so later.

In case anyone is missing the significance of that, here is a comparison. The first time we have any two-page manuscript fragment of the New Testament is from around the year 200 CE. That’s 170 years after Jesus’ death in 30 CE. Imagine if we found two pages of text that contain portions, say, of the Sermon on the Mount, in almost exactly the same form as we have them in what is now our Gospel of Matthew, and suppose that these pages received a carbon-14 dating of 30 BCE – 40 CE. Would we be ecstatic, OR WHAT???

Since I am a scholar of early Christianity rather than Islam, this discovery in Birmingham raises all sorts of questions for me that it would not raise for any of my Muslim friends and neighbors. One is a historical question, and one is a question of modern Christian attempts to “prove” the “truth claims” of Christianity.

My historical question is this. If these pages of the Qur’an do indeed show that the text of the Qur’an is virtually the same in, say 630-40 CE as it is in 1630-40 as it is in 2015, that would suggest that Muslims are indeed correct that at least in some circles (it would obviously be impossible to prove that it was true in all circles), scribes of the Qur’an simply didn’t change it. They made sure they copied it the same, every time, word for word. Now it may be that these newly-dated fragments have significant textual variants from the rest of the manuscript tradition of the Qur’an, and if they do, that too will be immensely interesting. But my sense is that they must not be much, if at all different, otherwise that is the story that would be all over the news.

And so back to my question. If Muslim scholars over the centuries – from the very beginning – made dead sure that when they copied their sacred text they didn’t change anything, why didn’t Christian scribes do the same thing??? Here I should stress that within Judaism as well, at least in the Middle Ages, there was exorbitant care taken to ensure that every page, every sentence, every word, every letter of the Torah was copied with complete and resolute accuracy (that’s not true for an earlier period of Judaism, to be sure; but it became true in Judaism in a way that never, ever was true in Christianity). Christian scribes did not do the same thing. We have many thousands of manuscripts of the New Testament. They all have mistakes in them. Lots of accidental mistakes (hundreds of thousands) from times that scribes were inept, inattentive, sleepy, or otherwise careless; and even lots of mistakes that appear to be places that scribes altered the text to make them say something other than what it originally said.

You don’t appear to get that with the Qur’an. And so my historical question. Why was that? For Christians the New Testament was a sacred book, the Word of God. Why didn’t they make sure that it never got changed? I can understand on one level why they didn’t. The scribes who copied it, especially in the early period, were not professionals. In the early centuries, the copyists were simply the local people who happened to be literate who could do a decent job. And they made lots of mistakes and changed the text in places intentionally. But why didn’t anyone go to the trouble of making sure that didn’t happen? It’s a genuine question.

My second point has to do with modern attempts to defend the truth of Christianity. I hear a certain perspective expressed a LOT by Christian apologists who are determined to show that Christianity is true (and that, as a result, not just non-belief but all other religions are flat-out wrong). If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this view I would buy a summer home in Provence. It is this: since the New Testament is the best attested book from the ancient world, we can trust it.

There are so many problems with this view that it’s hard to know even where to begin in addressing it. But let me just say two things about it. The first is that even though it is absolutely true (as I’ve been emphasizing in my posts over the past week or two) that we have more manuscripts of the New Testament than for any other book from Greek and Roman antiquity – far, far more – these manuscripts all differ from one another and contains many thousands (hundreds of thousands) of differences among them, so that even though we can be relatively sure of what the authors wrote most of the time, there are numerous places of disagreement and some of these places really matter. There are some passages where we will probably never know the exact wording.

That may not be the case with the Qur’an.

And that raises my second point, which is really THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. The fact that you do (or do not) know what a book originally said, has no bearing – no bearing at all, not a single bearing – on the question of whether you can trust it or not. It is completely irrelevant to the question. An absolute non sequitur. I wish Christian apologists would learn this, instead of continuously filling people’s heads with nonsense. Being the best-attested book from antiquity has no bearing on the question of whether the things that are said in the New Testament are true. No bearing at all.

I can prove that. Take a Christian fundamentalist apologist and ask him whether Mein Kampf (Hitler’s autobiography) or The Communist Manifesto (a writing of a very different order indeed!) or … well, take your pick of a modern book – whether there are serious textual problems with such writings so that you do not know what the author wrote. The answer is NO. There is not a huge question about how well these books are attested. They are extraordinarily well attested. And here’s the point: Does the fact these books are well attested prove that you can trust them? That what they say is true? Of course not. It’s completely irrelevant. Whether you can trust a writing and accept its views as true is unrelated to the question of how well it is attested.

The New Testament is well attested. Does that mean you can trust that what it says is true? Of course not. You have to make that judgment on OTHER grounds.

And now we appear to have evidence – better evidence than, say, for the Gospel of Matthew, or Paul’s letter to the Romans, or the epistle to the Hebrews – that the Qur’an was (at least by some scribes) very accurately copied over the centuries from the time it was produced. Does that “prove” that you can trust what it has to say? Of course not. But for historians it is an absolutely stunning, marvelous, and wonderful discovery nonetheless.

Bron: https://ehrmanblog.org/the-significance-of-an-astounding-new-discovery/

Bart Ehrman bevestigd hierboven dus dat de Koran uitstekend bewaard gebleven is in de afgelopen 14 eeuwen in tegenstelling tot de Bijbel. Maar oordelen over de waarheid in een boek dat goed bewaard is gebleven moet gebeuren op andere gronden volgens hem. Laten we een relevant vers uit de Koran erbij pakken om aan te tonen hoe waar de observatie is die gemaakt wordt in de Koran over dit onderwerp:

De Nobele Koran, 2/79: Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, “This is from Allah,” to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.

En laten we een hadith citeren over dit onderwerp: Ibn Abbas said, “O Muslims! How could you ask the People of the Book about anything, while the Book of Allah (Qur’an) that He revealed to His Prophet is the most recent Book from Him and you still read it fresh and young. Allah told you that the People of the Book altered the Book of Allah, changed it and wrote another book with their own hands. They then said, This book is from Allah,’ so that they acquired a small profit by it.

Het aantal Nederlanders dat zegt niet gelovig te zijn is vorig jaar opnieuw toegenomen. Bijna 6 op de 10 (58 procent) van de Nederlanders van 15 jaar en ouder rekenden zich vorig jaar niet tot een religie of een levensbeschouwelijke groepering, meldt het Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS). Een jaar eerder was dat nog 55 procent en in 2010 was het 45 procent.

Met name het aantal katholieken is afgenomen. Vorig jaar was 18 procent van de Nederlanders lid van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, in 2010 ging het om 27 procent. Het rooms-katholieke geloof is wel de grootste stroming in Nederland, gevolgd door het protestantisme.

Onder de protestanten nam het aantal gelovigen minder hard af. Vorig jaar zei 14 procent van de Nederlanders die stroming te volgen, in 2010 was dat 18 procent. Het aantal moslims bleef stabiel op zo’n 5 procent, net als het aantal mensen dat zegt tot een andere levensbeschouwelijke groepering te behoren (6 procent).

Meer vrouwen (45 procent) dan mannen (40 procent) rekenen zich tot een religie of levensbeschouwelijke groep. Dat is niet nieuw, stelt het CBS. In 2010 was 57 procent van de vrouwen lid van een kerk of groepering en 52 procent van de mannen.

Er zijn grote verschillen tussen verschillende leeftijdsgroepen die zich gelovig noemen. Van de 18- tot 25-jarigen is 28 procent gelovig. Van de 75-plussers was dat 65 procent. De 15- tot 18-jarigen nemen een gemiddelde positie in met 41 procent.

In 2010 waren de verschillen tussen de leeftijdsgroepen minder groot. In de groep 15 tot 45 jaar behoorde bijna de helft tot een religieuze groepering. Onder 75-plussers was dat 73 procent.

Verder woont een steeds kleiner deel van de Nederlanders regelmatig een religieuze dienst bij. in 2010 ging 18 procent van de 15-plussers minstens een keer per maand naar een dienst. Dat is teruggelopen naar 13 procent vorig jaar. Met name katholieken gaan minder vaak naar de kerk, 13 procent vorig jaar. Meer dan de helft van de protestanten gaat nog regelmatig naar de kerk.

Van de moslims bezoekt 43 procent minstens een keer per maand een moskee. Bij de groep met een andere levensbeschouwing gaat 28 procent nog regelmatig naar een dienst in een gebedshuis.

Bron: https://nos.nl/artikel/2457344-ontkerkelijking-zet-door-bijna-zes-op-tien-nederlanders-niet-religieus

“Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and the Shaitan (Devil – Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” [Quran, 17:27]

Often times one of the justifications given for pushing women into ‘higher education’ and careers is that modern households require two incomes to have a comfortable standard of living. But in reality this is not true at all.

Firstly, there really is no such thing as a “standard” of living as everyone has a different understanding of what a true standard of living should be. Although the great majority of people have been duped into pursuing the Hollywood fantasy lifestyle of the modern idols (aka celebrities) which is not only unrealistic for the vast majority of the people to achieve, but to add insult to injury it is not fulfilling at all for those who have obtained it. Every now and then we hear and read about some famous Joe-shmoe from the celebrity list hanging themselves, over-dosing on substance, getting divorced, seeing a psychiatrist, suffering abuse etc… So much for having obtained a wordly paradise, huh?

The fact of the matter is that if you were to give the average person 1 million dollars they will squander that and still not have achieved “happiness”. Such a person will ask for more and more just like a drug addict trying to get a stronger high than the last, upping the ante in the dosage every time.

Fortunately, thankfully, this world is not a paradise, wasn’t meant to be one and never will be.

Unfortunately, Muslims of all people seem to have missed the forrest for the trees despite having this knowledge (Islam).

The problem of our “modern” Muslims is that they are so eagerly bent on imitating the disbelievers in the formers metaphorical (and even literal) drug addiction that they have forgotten their own tranquility (Imaan, belief in Tawhid, sense of Tawakul) and the eternal bliss of Paradise in the hereafter.

It is very common to see that even Muslim households where both spouses have careers they are still struggling in some sense to maintain their standard of living. Its almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy; claim that you will need two incomes to maintain a “decent” standard of living to justify the wife leaving the household to become a parody of a man in a workplace, and then correspondingly raise the expenses to justify said career, and then say “see! Both incomes are necessary after all!”

It’s a struggle when you need to justify two people working to maintain a household.

In actuality, most of the expenses are a result of reckless consumerism and can be done without.

The average person in the West (and increasingly the East) today lives far more comfortably and even luxuriously than even the kings of Persia and Rome did during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) ; they did not have indoor plumbing with running hot water and drinkable tap water, a cooking stove, heating and air conditioning, all within reach of a few walking paces inside ones own living quarters.

For the classical man these are luxuries of the imagination; for the modern man these are just “bare-bone basics”, “average”, “not enough” “embarrassingly little” etc.

If these are just the basics, then we need to add in the flat screen TV for each room, video game console, the latest smartphones, the latest car, latest high-end laptop, Amazon, Netflix, the two garage house with a pool, the annual vacations, the takeouts every night, the masters degree for that field that requires you to go into debt in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and costs you years of your life that you will never get back only for you to earn a specific income precisely so you can live this “comfortable” standard of living and brag to your friends and relatives about it. A lot of this requires taking out interest-based loans from Western banking institutions.

Whereas the true Leader of mankind, the Leader of the prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) lived in far more humble conditions than the Kings of Persia and Rome, what to say of the “modern” Muslim?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a Hadith:

“Whoever among you wakes up secure in his property, healthy in his body, and he has his food for the day, it is as if he were given the entire world .”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2346

The average Modern Muslim is a microcosm of the much bigger governments of Muslim majority nations; they both take out interest-based loans from their “former” colonial masters in order to fund useless and lavish spendings and thus remain chained within the ‘system’ and therefore powerless in determining their own economic destiny, and therefore their political destiny (Khilafah).

“Verily, every nation has a trial, and the trial of my nation is wealth.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2336

Additional comment by another brother:

This is something that’s been bothering me a lot lately. The economies of the world today are based on endless consumerism and infinite growth.

In many ways, capitalism was saved as women entered the workplace in the latter half of the 20th century. You now had almost 2x the workforce that could continue to produce (worthless) “goods” and services, and slash wages as more people competed for the same dead end jobs.

Then you have Covid. It exposed how the house of cards that is the modern economic system crashes when people stop spending. Families begin fearing for necessities and losing their jobs, so reign in the discretionary spending.

Government prints and gives people money to spend. Couple of years later too much currency and cheap 0% loans (for years to encourage borrowing) floating around, inflation soars.

You literally don’t even own your money. They can devalue it as and when they like. Stop consuming all this bullshit. My phone is 7 years old. I don’t have a TV. My car is decades old. I don’t need more. I don’t need new.

Personally true wealth for me is in owning cattle/sheep/goats and fertile land. If it comes to societal collapse, the person that can feed himself survives. Your paper won’t buy anything.

Our Prophet (peace be upon him) died with nothing except armour and a mule I believe.

As you mentioned, if you have a roof over your head, food, and you are healthy in your body you have everything.

Increase in your thankfulness by saying alhamdulillah (praise and thank God) a lot for the things you have been given. And there are many supplications to protect you from falling into debt.