12 the acceptance of the qur’an’s challenge (3)

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12. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE QUR’AN’S CHALLENGE (3) In April 1999 Wine Press and “Project Omega 2011” a group of Evangelic in Texas released a book in Arabic called ‫لحق‬ َ ‫( الفُرْ َقان ْا‬alFurqān al-Ḥaqq, “The True Criterion”, The True Furqan) which took seven years to complete as the project started in 1991. The book is claimed to be revelation to a prophet under the pseudonym of ‫صفِي‬ َّ ‫ال‬ (al-Ṣafī, “the Pure one”, Al Saffee).

According to Anis Shorrosh, a Palestinian Christian Missionary who emigrated to the United States, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. is “the Antichrist” and he calls the book “a tool to liberate Muslims” and to convert them to Christianity. According to him this is an attempt to respond the challenge of the Qur’an that none can create a work like it. This book is similar to the Quran "but contains the gospel message." He said: “The prophet of Arabia challenged the entire world to compose a book equal to the Quran. We accepted the challenge as stated in Surah 17:88.

The outcome is The True Furqan. Our second purpose is to present the Good News of Jesus the Christ to our fellow Arabs in the prose and poetic style of the classical language of the Arabic Quran.”

The title of the book and the name of its author are wellchosen to imitate the Qur’an. The Qur’an has many names, among which is al-Furqān, meaning the criterion between truth and falsehood; but this True Furqan is not the Furqān (Qur’an) in the hands of Muslim which the author considers not true. The epithet of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. who received the revelation al-Furqān (Qur’an) is ‫( ْالمُصْ َط َفى‬al-Muṣṭafá, “the Chosen one), which is derived from the word ‫صفِي‬ َ (Ṣafī), Al Saffee, which is the name adopted by the author of the True Furqān .

According to Dr. Bassām ‘Alī al-‘Amῡsh, Ass. Prof. Faculty of Sharī‘ah, Univ. al-Zarqā, ‘Amman, Jordan, who was doing his research on this True Furqan , the mysterious author Al Saffee, who

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claimed to be a prophet, was Anis Sorrosh himself, whereas the person who translated it into English, was his wife called Al Mahdy.

Both of them belong to the Executive Committee in charge of recording, translating and publishing of the book, the True Furqan.

Dr. Anis Shorrosh, was known in the Muslim world for his response to the challenge of the late Ahmad Deedat in two debates.

The first one, entitled “Is Jesus God?” took place in December, 1985 at Royal Albert Hall in London. The second one took place in Birmingham, UK on 7 August 1988, entitled “The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word?”

The book is also called “The 21st Century Quran”, in Arabic and English, and was distributed to children in Kuwait in the private English school. It was also intended to be passed out by American soldiers to Iraqi civilians. It contains 77 chapters (sūrahs) in over 366 pages, including al-Fātiḥah (the Opening), al-Masīḥ (Messiah), al-Thālūth (the Triune God), al-Ṣalb (the Crucifixion), al-Injīl (the Gospel), al-Ru‘āt (the Shepherds), al-Jannah (Paradise), al-Asāṭīr (the Legends), al-Taḥrīf (Plagiarism), and al-Mākirīn (the Conspirators). Instead of Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm (“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”) each surah of this True Furqan begins with ‫ب ْال َكلِ َم ِة الرُّ ْو ِح اإلل ِه ْال َوا ِح ِد ْاْل ْو َحد‬ ِ ‫ِبسْ ِم اآل‬ “In the Name of the Father, the Word, the Holy Spirit, the One and Only True God”.

The introductory chapter of this book which also consists of seven verses is called al-Basmalah¸ translated as “the Blessing”. In Arabic the term ”basmalah” is originally bismillāh, which means “in the name of Allah”, but the word “Allah” is not mentioned there; rather, it is the name of the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, this introductory chapter should be called basmalab, because it starts with bismil-ab (“in the name of the Father…”), instead of bismillāh, as if it is intended to confuse Muslims.

Moreover, it is only in this chapter where this basmalah is preceded with the word qul (“say”).

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In its “Special Introduction” the book is directed to “the Arab nation specially, and the Muslim world collectively”. In other words, the objectives of this book are to convert non-Arab Muslims in general, and Arab Muslims in particular, to Christianity, to attack and discredit Islam and the Muslims, and to cast doubt on the truth of Islamic laws. It is an attempt to confuse some ignorant people by giving the Christian Gospel message the appearance of a Qur’anic style. However, anyone who has read the book, the original or the English translation will soon see that this document, the True Furqan, does not have the arrangement, the style, the confidence, or the unique content found in the Qur’an. It is a desperate measure to find some way to convert the Muslims. On 7 September 2005 the government of India in its decree No: 78/NT prohibited this book, the True Furqan, from entering the country.

This attempt to imitate the style of the Qur’an is the reminiscent of very early attempt in the early period of Islam, and all of them ended with failure. For example, Musaylamah bin Ḥabīb, whose epithet (laqb) was “the Liar” (d. 11 A.H. in the battle of Yamamah) who claimed to be a prophet beside Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said that it was revealed to him: ُ ْ‫ َو ُخر‬،‫ لَه َذ َنب َو ِبيل‬،ُ‫ْالفِي ُل َو َما أَدْ َرا َك َما ْالفِيل‬ (‫ )الفيل‬.‫طوم َط ِويل‬ The elephant. And what will make you know what the elephant is? It has a unhealthy (disastrous) tail, and a long trunk (Elephant) This verse is the copy of the following verse: )3-1:‫ار َع ُة (القارعة‬ َ ‫ َو َما أَ ْد َرا‬.‫ار َع ُة‬ ِ ‫ك َما ْال َق‬ ِ ‫ َما ْال َق‬.‫ار َع ُة‬ ِ ‫ا ْل َق‬ The striking Hour (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)! What is the striking (Hour)? And what will make you know what the striking (Hour) is? (Q. 101:1-3) In this verse, Allah talked about a very important topic, namely, the Day of Resurrection, not about the elephant.

Another examples in what he called sῡrat al-Nisā’ is: .‫ َما َب ْي َن صِ َفاق َو َح َشا‬،‫ أَ ْخ َر َج ِم ْن َها َنسْ َمة َتسْ َعى‬،‫ف َف َعل َ َرب َك ب ْال ُح ْبلَى‬ َ ‫أَلَ ْم َت َر َك ْي‬

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Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the pregnant women? He brought forth from them living creatures moving forward between the underskin and the womb (Women) This verse is the copy of sūrat al-Fīl, as follows: )1:‫ِيل (الفيل‬ ْ َ ‫ف َف َعل َ َرب َك بأ‬ َ ‫أَلَ ْم َت َر َك ْي‬ ِ ‫ص َحاب ْالف‬ Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? (Q. 105:1) Instead of dealing with pregnant women, Allah talked about the army with an elephant which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka‘bah in Makkah and to build its substitute in Yemen, so that people would go there for pilgrimage. It happened in the year the Prophet was born, and it was called “the Year of the Elephant” )‫) َعام ْالفِيل‬. The Ka‘bah was unprotected by the Quraysh, because they believed that Allah Himself would protect it as it is His Own House. Then Allah sent them flocks of birds, striking them with stones of baked clay, and rendered them like straw eaten up.

Another invented verse is as follows: ‫ َفأ َ ْخ َر َج‬،‫لى‬ َ ‫لى ْال ُح ْب‬ َ ‫ الذي َي َّس َر َع‬،‫اس َم َرب َك ْاْلَ ْع َلى‬ ْ ‫سبح‬ َ َ )‫عى (النساء‬ َ ‫ين أحْ َشاء َو ِم‬ ِ ‫ ِمنْ َب‬،‫مِن َها َنسْ َمة َتسْ َعى‬ Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who facilitated pregnant women, so He brought forth from them living creatures between wombs and intestines (Women) This is a copy of the following verse: .‫ َوالَّذِي َق َّد َر َف َهدَى‬.‫ الَّذِي َخلَ َق َف َس َّوى‬.‫اس َم َرب َك ْاْلَ ْعلَى‬ ْ ‫سبح‬ َ )5-1:‫ َف َج َعلَ ُه ُغ َثاء أَحْ َوى (اْلعلى‬.‫َوالَّذِي أَ ْخ َر َج ْال َمرْ َعى‬ Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High, Who creates, then makes complete, and Who makes (things) according to a measure, then guides (them to their goal).

And Who brings forth herbage. Then makes it dried up, dust-coloured. (Q. 87:1-5)

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The invented verse talks about the facilitation for pregnant women to give birth, whereas the Qur’an talks about the creation in general and its perfection, measure, and guidance. Then Allah brought forth grass and plants, which eventually dried up. It is about life and death, represented by the growth of plants then their death, being dried up.

In the following verse the word ‫“( إِ َّنا َج َع ْل َنا‬Truly, We have َ ‫إِ ْذ َج َع َل ال َّش‬ set…”), namely, “Allah” is replaced with (13:‫ (الفرقان‬... ُ‫يطان‬ (“When Satan has set..”), in the True Furqān to indicate that it was Satan, not Allah, who had done the deed, as the verse was believed to have been inspired by Satan. )55:‫إِ َّنا َج َع ْل َنا َع َلى قلوبه ْم أَكنة أَنْ َي ْف َقهوه َوفي آ َذانه ْم َو ْقرا (الكهف‬ Truly, We [namely, Allah], have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand (this Qur’an), and in their ears deafness… (Q. 18:57) Here, according to the True Furqān, it was not Allah Who did it, but rather, it was Satan who did it.

In defending the belief in Trinity and rationally justifying it, the True Furqān says: “It is not proper for you to argue with our believing servants concerning their faith, and consider them disbeliever because of your disbelief, it is the same whether We reveal Ourself as One, Three, or Ninety-nine, so, do not say of what you have no knowledge, and I know better those who go astray.” (Tawḥīd:2) What this verse means is that do not bother with the belief in the Trinity as one God, just like the 99 names of Allah, also the one God. But the comparison is totally unacceptable. In the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost, as one God, are three personalities, namely, God the Father is not God the Son, who is not the Holy Ghost who is not God the Father. This is mystery in Christianity which a dogma the Christians have to believe. In Islam, Allah has 99 names or attributes, but He remains one God. Allah is

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Himself al-Raḥmān (the Most Gracious) is Himself al-Raḥīm (the Most Merciful), is Himself al-Malik (the King), and so on. Allah says: َّ ‫ه َُو‬ ُ‫ك ْالقُ ُّدوسُ الس َ​ََّل ُم ْالم ُْؤمِنُ ْال ُم َه ْيمِن‬ ُ ‫ّللا ُ الَّذِي َل إِ َل َه إِ َّل ه َُو ْال َم ِل‬ )23:‫ون (الحشر‬ ِ َّ ‫ان‬ َ ‫ّللا َعمَّا ُي ْش ِر ُك‬ َ ‫ْال َع ِزي ُز ْال َجبَّا ُر ْال ُم َت َك ِّب ُر ُسب َْح‬ He is Allah, besides Whom there is no god; the King, the Holy, the Giver of peace, the Granter of security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Omnipotent, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah above all that they associate as partners with Him (Q. 59:23) In this verse eight of ninety-nine names and attributes of Allah are mentioned. Other names and attributes of Allah are mentioned in other verses scattered throughout the Qur’an. So, if we ask Allah’s Compassion and Mercy we say Yā Raḥmān (O the Most Gracious), Yā Raḥīm (O the Most Merciful); if we ask Allah’s generosity we say Yā Karīm (O the Generous One), if we ask Allah forgiveness, we say, Yā Ghaffār (O the Forgiving), Yā Ghafūr (O the Forgiver and Hider of Faults), and so on with the remaining names and attributes of Allah.

We call Him with many names, and He remains One God, Allah.

(CIVIC, 28February, 2014) Sources: ‫المكتبة الشاملة‬ The True Furqan. Sacramento: Omega 2001 & Wine Press, 1999. http://azadieiran2.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-true-furqanalforghan-alhagh_www-azadieiran2-wordpress-com.pdf http://www.kaheel7.com/ar/index.php/2012-12-04-18-31-08/625-q-qhttp://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%86_% D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9 http://islamgreatreligion.wordpress.com/the-fake-american-quran/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_True_Furqan.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Deedat http://www.islamnewsroom.com/news-we-need/500fakequranfurqan3